Nancy Murphy had several personas at George Mason University.
The executive assistant to the vice president for University Life was the “facilitator of fun,” the office’s “unofficial poet laureate” and its “first responder” when a question needed answering or a function or activity needed organizing.
“Just larger than life,” said Alissa Karton, University Life’s assistant to the vice president and director of special projects. “She was all about connecting with others. Full of incredible spirit, incredible smile, a total class act.”
Murphy, who retired in 2012 after 22 years at George Mason, died on Jan. 3 from complications from cancer. She was 70.
About her time at Mason, her son, Steve, said, “She absolutely loved it. She didn’t want to retire because she loved going to work every day.”
“She really cared about her work,” said Rose Pascarell, vice president for University Life. “Whatever the work was, whether it was working on a really important project for the vice president, or planning a community potluck, she put the same amount of energy into everything she did.”
Murphy also took charge of all holiday, retirement, wedding and birthday parties. She always wore a gold lamé “Nancy”-embroidered apron at University Life potlucks, and if you were a guest of honor at any event, you got a rhyming poem she wrote and framed as a gift.
Those poems were big in the Murphy family as well.
“Oh, we got poems. I got all kinds of poems,” Steve said. “You knew you had arrived when you got a poem. It was a special moment.”
“She was full of life,” Steve said of his mom. “She was a person who would wake up full of energy and hit the ground running. Everyone that came in touch with her got a sense of the positive aura she exuded on a daily basis.”
In addition to her husband of 47 years, James, she is survived by her mother, Nancy O’Neill; her brother, Dan; and her sister, Trish; sons Steve and Jim Murphy and their wives, Stephanie and Hope; and grandchildren, Mason, Connor, Ryan and Meghan.
Visitation is 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10, at Johnson Funeral Home, 31440 Constitution Highway, Locust Grove, Va. The funeral mass is 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 11, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 9149 Ely’s Ford Road, Fredericksburg, Va.
In lieu of flowers, a tax-deductible contribution in Mrs. Murphy’s name may be sent to LOWLINC Inc., a nonprofit assisted living facility for seniors, at P.O. Box 518, Locust Grove, VA 22508.