Rachel Leigh Murdock

Rachel Leigh Murdock, 32, passed away peacefully on September 4, 2016, at Austin, Texas. Rachel was born in Austin, May 8, 1984, the first child of her parents Frank Murdock and Cynthia (Eltzroth) Murdock.

Rachel spent her childhood growing up with her siblings, playing in the natural beauty of the Lost Pines country of Bastrop, TX, and attended the Bastrop schools. She later moved to Utah where she enjoyed her Utah extended family and the winter sports. She graduated from Ogden High School in Utah in 2002, then moved to Austin and was employed by AGE Industries for several years. Frequent family trips to visit grandparents in Cleburne, TX, family in Peru and Wabash, IN, and Ogden, Utah, were some of the loveliest times of everyone’s lives, and inextricably intertwined her roots with those of family members with whom she so generously shared abundant great affection. Rachel could lift spirits by bursting forth at any moment in song, dance, and laughter. She laughed every time she could, celebrating the wittiness of humans, the wackiness of non-humans, and the unexpectedness of nature.

Rachel loved cats and dogs, and enjoyed her volunteer work at the Austin Town Lake Animal Shelter. She loved to cook (and was especially proud of her dad’s special Murdock Spaghetti!), was a computer buff, and enjoyed rooting for her favorite college teams. Rachel was deeply curious about all things, asked interesting questions, and listened to and thought about the answers. She once said, “I would love to hear about the patchwork of the thoughts and experiences that make up your life because it would add color to my world and I would be grateful”. She was always smiling and fearless (except when it came to firecrackers). She devoured Dan Brown and Ken Follett novels, and read the Statesman daily to check out the football news, and was full of ideas about sports, politics, religion, and business, and she enjoyed sharing and discussing (and arguing) it all with family. She loved Harry Potter, and showed her affection for everyone’s favorite cartoon dog by amassing a great collection of everything Snoopy.

Rachel’s time on Earth blessed a large and loving family of Murdock, Thompson, Eltzroth, and Griswold siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins in Texas, Utah, Indiana, Maryland and several other states, and family friends, and when she was born, brought with her the tremendous gift of unbridled joy and enthusiasm for life, and love and devotion to those family and friends. Rachel’s last, and one of her most profoundly important gifts, was donation of her organs so that many others could continue life’s journey enjoying the same things she so loved.

Our darling Rachel lives on forever in the hearts and minds of all who love her and miss her presence, and the sweetest memories of our times together will keep us close and bring us joy for all eternity.

She was preceded in death by her father, Frank Murdock of Ogden, UT; grandfather, Arthur Eltzroth of Cleburne, TX; grandparents Robert Murdock and Ada Rothey Murdock of Ogden, UT.

Rachel is survived by her mother, Cynthia Eltzroth Murdock of Austin, TX; grandmother, Divona Thompson Eltzroth of Cleburne, TX; her sisters, Minde (Matt) Beehner of Wallace, ID; Nichol (Ray) Tindol of Cedar Park, TX, Meagan (Michael) Tonry of Missouri City, TX; her brothers Matt Murdock of Pflugerville, TX, Criss (Kim) Johnston of Cedar Park, TX, Michael (LaRhonda) Murdock of Argyle, TX; her nieces, Jessica and Heather Beehner, Brook Johnston; her nephews, Jordan Beehner, Ayden Tindol, Caleb and Logan Murdock and many loving aunts, uncles and cousins.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2:00 p.m., September 17, 2016, in the Colonial Chapel of Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78752.

Rachel’s family knows that in lieu of flowers, Rachel would have wanted donations sent to Austin Pets Alive or online http//www.austinpetsalive.org/donate/donate-now/