Mildred Gawron Gawron Murphy

Mildred Gawron Murphy, age 96, died at Woodland Terrace Senior Community, Cary, NC, on Monday, February 8 surrounded by her loving family and Hospice Care. Mildred was born on December 4, 1919 in Yonkers, NY, the youngest daughter of the late Andrew and Anna Gawron who emigrated from Poland at the turn of the century. Mildred, the only child of six who attended college, graduated from the College of Mt. St. Vincent, Riverdale, NY, with a BS in chemistry in 1941.

She met the love of her life James Edward Murphy while working as a chemist at Burroughs Wellcome Pharmaceuticals, Tuckahoe,NY. After two years of writing daily love letters to Jim while he was stationed at Pearl Harbor naval hospital during World War II, Jim and Mildred married in 1946.

She is survived by her husband, Jim; and her children, Jim (Ridgefield, CT), Jean (Ridgefield, CT), Brian (Durham, NC), Kathleen Murphy-Baum (St. Louis, MO), and Patricia Boerner (London, UK). She was a wonderful grandmother to 8 grandchildren, Heather, Corey, Patrick, Erin, Benjamin, Joseph, Caitlin, Christopher; and to 3 great-grandchildren, Dylan, Phoenix, and Saoirse. Mildred was preceded in death by her son, Kenneth and grandson, Shawn.

Over the years, Mildred was involved in many volunteer activities with her church, the Girl Scouts, and Birthright, and selflessly cared for her older siblings in their later years. She enjoyed reading, hiking, traveling the country to visit family and friends, and playing with her grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12 pm on Friday, February 12, 2016 at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 804 High House Road, Cary, NC. Burial will directly follow in Raleigh Memorial Park. The family will receive guests from 4 – 7 pm on Thursday, February 11th at Mitchell Funeral Home, 7209 Glenwood Ave. Raleigh, NC with a Prayer Service that will begin at 6pm.

Memorial contributions can be made to The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

Online Memorials: www.MitchellatRMP.com