Fuku Kon Murphy

She was born on April 5, 1939, in Akita, Japan, to Kikuji and Yoshino Kon. Fuku met her husband, Lyle, in Japan and moved to the United States, where they were married in 1968.

Fuku & Lyle lived in a couple of places in the United States – starting out in Chicago where she gave birth to her son, Halet, then moving to Boulder, Colorado, where she gave birth to her daughter, Rana. Fuku and Lyle enjoyed over 40 years in Colorado where they enjoyed hiking, camping and looking at the mountain view from their back porch. Fuku loved to go mushroom hunting in the mountains outside of Boulder where she relished finding mushrooms before the other hunters.

Fuku graduated with a degree in Accounting from the University of Colorado at Boulder and worked for several years for the CU Foundation. After years with the University, she moved on to one of her greatest passions in life: Food and cooking. Fuku received a degree in Culinary Arts where she learned gourmet cooking techniques and cuisines from around the world to try out on her many friends. After graduation, she did her time in the hotel fine dining scene but eventually moved on to start her own catering business. Her comfort zone was cooking and entertaining friends. She also loved traveling and went on many adventures around the world.

She loved art and always had a passion for painting, which she rediscovered later in life. She started with watercolor still life & landscapes and moved on to oil painting, where she excelled in landscapes and portraits. She was a prolific painter, who left behind a large volume of work.

Fuku and Lyle moved to Conroe, TX to be closer to family in 2016. She embraced becoming a Texan, enjoyed trying out restaurants in the area, and painted in her sunny home painting studio.

The last year of her life was spent enjoying life in the Village at the Woodlands waterway retirement community. There, she found a new hobby: shooting pool. The study and practice of pool occupied much of her time in the last year and she loved playing with residents and staff. She encouraged others to play and enjoyed organizing the pool tournaments. In addition to pool, she liked eating with her friends, trying out activities in the community, and painting portraits of resident friends.

She was a woman of strong opinions and was not afraid to let you know those opinions. She was particularly good at making friends and connecting with people. She was fearless and tried out new adventures and experiences her whole life.

Fuku is survived by her son, Halet, her daughter, Rana, and her three grandchildren, Clay, Emma, and Charlotte.

A memorial celebration will be held on December 10th, at 3:45, at the Village at the Woodlands Waterway, 2323 Lake Robbins, Dr., The Woodlands, TX, 77380.