Phyllis Ann (Szopa) Murray

Phyllis Ann (Szopa) Murray, 88, of East Hampton and formerly of Verbank, NY, widow of the late Richard Murray, died Friday July 31, 2020. Born in Manchester, NH, she was the daughter of the late Joseph and Natalie Szopa. Phyllis is survived by her daughters Cary (Carl) of Herndon, VA, Diane (Bruce) of Monroe, NH, Linda (Rick) of Alpharetta, GA, Ellen (Marty) of Poland, ME, Joyce (Greg) of Southbury, CT and Kasha (Mike) of East Hampton, CT, a sister Nancy of Hampton, NH, 15 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Richard and her grandson Rich Provencher.

Phyllis Murray was devoted to family. She was a loving and caring mother and grandmother. Her life revolved around her six daughters. They were her pride and joy. Phyllis especially enjoyed the gatherings of her girls and their families at her home on Lake Pocotopaug. She had a strong commitment to community. Before Phyllis had children she was a grade school teacher in Manchester, NH. Later in Verbank, NY she was an integral part of the community. Phyllis was the first female firefighter in Dutchess County as an EMT, a 4-H leader, community arts and crafts teacher, volunteer at St. Joseph’s School, member and president of Millbrook Central School Board and she ran the church thrift store Uncle Al’s. On top of all that, she attended every event her daughters were involved in including volleyball, basketball, track & field, cheerleading, soccer and softball competition. Her love of sports continued throughout her lifetime as an avid UCONN Husky basketball fan and more recently as a Capitals hockey fan. Locally Phyllis was a member of the St. Patrick’s Church Guild and an ardent bridge player. Other hobbies included crafting, sewing, knitting, scrapbooking and puzzles. Gramma, as she was lovingly called, was the foundation of a very large and close-knit family. Her family finds peace in that she is now reunited with Grampy, her loving husband of 57 years. She will be dearly missed. The immediate family will be having a private service. A celebration of Phyllis’ life will be held at a later date. Charities that honor her grandsons are TANGO2 Research Foundation and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made to www.tango2research.org and https://www.ccalliance.org.

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