Mary Murphy

Mary Irene Murphy, 92, of Johnsville, formerly of Ontario, passed away Thursday, December 29, 2011, at Country Meadow Care Center, Bellville. Mary was born February 1, 1919 in Springfield Township, Richland County, Ohio, the eldest of the seven children of Levi Henry and Lucille (Moon) Henry.

Mary graduated from Ontario High School in 1937, and then graduated from Mansfield Business College. She worked for the Ohio Brass Company until her marriage on May 2, 1948 to Lawrence N. Murphy at the Ontario Methodist Church. They first lived in Mansfield, then moved to Sandusky, Ohio, and later to Burlington, Ontario, Canada, all of which were locations where Lawrence was employed as an engineer with different conveyor companies.

Moving back to Ohio in 1955, they resided in Ashland for seven years until relocating to Ontario in 1962, living there for the next 41 years.

In 2003, Mary and Larry moved to the Johnsville community, not far from the homesteads of her ancestral families who settled the area in the early 1800's: Henry, Van Dorn, Parks and Wilhelm.

An avid and determined genealogist, Mary was successful in tracing many generations of her ancestral families. She was a member and volunteer at the Ohio Genealogical Society Library, as well as earning memberships in several lineage societies: Daughters of the War of 1812, Daughters of Union Veterans, and some First Family groups-Richland, Morrow, Darke and Miami counties, plus First Families of Ohio. She was also a member of the Morrow County Historical Society, and of both the Morrow and Richland county chapters of the O.G.S.

Her curiosity took her hobby to the next level, searching out the living descendants of her ancestors' siblings, delighting in meeting new distant cousins and forming strong family bonds beyond her immediate circle of relatives. She also found time to serve as a Girl Scout leader, and to be creative in handcrafts by knitting and crocheting sweaters and afghans.

A woman of faith, Mary maintained memberships with church in whatever location she lived, notably Ontario United Methodist, First Church of God, and most recently attending St. John’s Lutheran Church of North Woodbury-where she discovered that her great-great grandparents, Martin and Julianna Henry were charter members.

Surviving are two daughters, Karen J. (Jeffrey) Sigsworth of Elyria, and Janet K. (Daniel) Rhodebeck, of Johnsville; grandsons, Levi Rhodebeck and Kent Rhodebeck; four sisters, Eileen Sayre, Margaret Hause, Carol Maduri, and Phyllis Beery; two brothers, Robert Henry and John Henry, and a host of nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Lawrence, who passed away in 2010, a brother-in-law, a sister-in-law, a nephew and a niece.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 4, 2012, at St. John's Lutheran Church, 6808 State Route 314 south of Johnsville, with the Rev. John Moffett officiating. Burial will follow in Shauck Cemetery. Friends may call one hour prior to the services, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family of Mary I. Murphy requests that memorial contributions be made to either the Ohio Genealogical Society Endowment Fund, 611 State Route 97 West, Bellville, OH 44813, or to the Morrow County Historical Society, P.O. Box 21, Mount Gilead, OH 43338.