Obituary of Rita M. Murphy

CHASE MILLS -- A Mass of Christian Burial for 99 year old Rita M. Murphy will be held on Friday, September 20, 2019 at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Visitation in Norfolk with Rev. Garry Giroux presiding. Burial will be held in the Visitation Cemetery following the services. The family will receive friends at the Buck Funeral Home in Norfolk in Thursday, September 19, 2019 from 4-7 p.m. Rita passed away on Sept. 13, 2019 at the St. Joseph's Home in Ogdensburg with her family at her side. Rita was born on July 29, 1920 in Madrid, NY the daughter of the late Liguori and Catherine (Cavanaugh) Murphy. She is a graduate of St. Mary's Academy in Ogdensburg and SUNY Potsdam. Rita taught at the Norfolk Elementary School as a kindergarten teacher for 35 years. Rita was a member of the NYS Retired Teachers Association where she was very active and she was a lifetime parishioner of Church of the Visitation, who served on many committees and councils in various capacities. She served on the Parish Council as the first woman member and she was a lector and Eucharistic minister for many years and also a member of the Alter & Rosary Society. After her retirement as a public school educator, she served as a teacher and director of the Church of the Visitation Religious Education program for 25 years. Rita was an avid award winning bowler and enjoyed gardening, traveling, sewing, knitting, crocheting, quilting and crafting. She was pre-deceased by her parents, a brother John Murphy in 2014, brother Liguori Murphy in 2014, a sister Margaret Alguire in 2009, a brother Francis Murphy in 2006 and sister Mary Ellen Murphy in 1921. Rita is survived by a 8 nieces, 6 nephews, several great-nieces and great-nephews and cousins and a sister-in-law, Lorraine Murphy, Cheektowaga, NY. Memorial contributions in Rita's memory may be made to Church of the Visitation, Norfolk, NY or the St. Joseph's Home, Ogdensburg, NY and memories and condolences may be shared online at www.buckfuneralhome.com . The Buck Funeral Home in Norfolk is serving the family of Rita M. Murphy.