Anna Marie Gilmartin Murphy, 82, of Wayside, Ocean Township, died peacefully on Sunday, December 21, 2014 surrounded by her loving family.
She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and belonged to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Flatbush. She also lived in Bethlehem, PA and Valley Stream, NY before relocating to Wayside 44 years ago.
She graduated from St. Brendan’s High School in Brooklyn and Grace Institute in Manhattan. Anna then became a Secretary for Anaconda Corporation, also in Manhattan. After raising her five children, she worked as an Administrative Assistant at Casual Corner in Eatontown, and later worked for Checkmate, Inc. in Asbury Park. Anna was very proud of the family business, “Susan Murphy’s Old Time Ice Cream” in Spring Lake Heights, which was established by her husband, Don, and owned from 1980-1998.
Anna and her husband were founding members of St. Anselm’s Roman Catholic Church, Wayside. She was a Eucharistic Minister and volunteered and served on many committees and events at the parish over the years.
She was very devoted to her faith and her family and had great pride in her Irish heritage. She was a smart, mild-mannered and gentle woman who was beloved by all who knew her, especially her children and grandchildren who affectionately called her “Hon”.
Anna was pre-deceased by her husband, James Donald Murphy in 1998, her parents, Thomas and Delia Gilmartin from County Sligo, Ireland and her brother Thomas. She is survived by her brother, Michael Gilmartin (Bea), Woodlands, TX; her children, Susan More (Bob), Oldwick, NJ; Kevin Murphy (Kim), Glen Allen, VA; Patricia Murphy and Maura Murphy, both Ocean and Denis Murphy, La Quinta, CA, as well as her grandchildren, Shannon and Katie More and Erin and Collin Murphy, and many loving cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws, friends and all the wonderful staff who cared for her at Meridian Subacute (Wall).
Relatives and friends are invited to visit from 11 am to 2 pm Friday, December 26 at the Fiore Funeral Home, 236 Monmouth Road, Oakhurst. Funeral Mass will be offered at 10:30 am Saturday, December 27 at St Anselm’s Church, Wayside. Entombment will follow at St. Catharine’s Mausoleum in Wall. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (www.pdf.org) and the Mercy Center in Asbury Park, (www.mercycenternj.org). For condolences, please visit www.fiorefuneralhomes.com.