Helen E. Murphy

September 8, 1933 - March 4, 2015

On Wednesday March 4 Helen Elaine Murphy left us for the everlasting embrace of the Lord and the compassionate care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. All her family and friends feel a deep sense of loss that is only tempered by the knowledge that heaven is a much brighter place with her arrival. Her kindness to all, her good works, and her abiding faith in God are now a shining example to all who knew her of a life well lived in the generous service of others. Helen was born on September 8, 1933, in Murphysboro, Illinois. Her mother Eva left Illinois in the midst of the Great Depression for a new life in California and married Clyde Grimes. Together they established and ran a dairy farm on the Silverado Trail and raised four lovely girls – Virginia, Helen, Dorothy, and Jeannie. Her life was built around farm and family at a time when Napa was very different than today. Helen married Neil Francis Murphy in September 1951 while he was in the US Air Force. Settling in Napa, they raised three children, Timothy, Michael and Colleen, and Neil began a construction company, Redwood Homes. Life was rich with experience in the turbulent sixties and Helen maintained the helm at home while Neil developed an extraordinarily successful business. Cub scout den mom, 4H moderator, trips to baseball and basketball games, school functions and family gatherings, and parish involvement at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church were Helen's life. Remarkably she even found time to accommodate the needs of children from countless families in transition and became a surrogate mother to many who witnessed her deep love for kids and their well-being. It is amazing how many lives she touched and 50 years later that legacy of her love remains. As the sixties progressed and her own children grew, so too did Helen. She established her own business, The Wig Tree, in the Bel Air Plaza, paying particular attention to women who needed hairpieces during their chemotherapy treatment. As fashion changed, Helen closed her business and became a successful travel agent, first at Vintage Travel and then at Thompson Creek Travel. During this time Helen developed an interest in horseback riding, yoga, gardening, the guitar, and golf, without ever losing her passion for going to the movies and attending Broadway musicals. She was an inspiration like no other and we will sorely miss her incredible zest for life. She enters heaven and the company of saints with great dignity and an abiding love from all who shared being here with her on earth. She is survived by her husband, Neil, and her eldest son, Timothy, and his wife, Griselda and her two children, Janette and Rosie, her middle son, Michael, a De La Salle Christian Brother, and her daughter, Colleen, and her husband, Frank, along with their children, Gianna, Lauren, Joshua, Elijah and Gabriel. Helen is also survived by two aunts and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Her little pug Lucy now provides comfort to Neil. Finally, our family would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dr Rony Kako along with Mary Kelley and the staff at Piner's Nursing Home for the tender care they offered Helen during her long illness. A rosary will be held at the Claffey & Rota Funeral Parlor on Sunday March 8 at 7 o'clock in the evening. The Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated on Monday March 9 at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church at 11 o'clock in the morning, with a reception following the mass. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Napa Valley Hospice & Adult Day Services or to the charity of your choice.