Donna Murphy

Donna Dee( Porter )Murphy,88, formerly of Marion and Fishers, passed away on Tuesday, December 9, 2014 in Long Beach, CA.

Born on April 26, 1926 in Mexico, Indiana, she was the daughter of Ora Porter, Vice President of  the local Peru Trust office,

and Bernice (Berry) Porter, homemaker.

She was very close to her beloved brother, Leora “Junior” Porter, who preceded her in death in 1964.

During WWII, Donna was one of the “Rosie the Riveters,” working in a factory for the war effort. While working in Indianapolis, she met and married jeweler Carl
Murphy in 1950.  They raised their three children, Graig, Tim, and
Carla, in Marion, Indiana.  After moving to Kokomo, Donna lost Carl to
heart disease in 1989. For the next eleven years, she worked as an
insurance clerk in Indianapolis.  In 2000, Donna reconnected with a
high school classmate, Gene Shoemaker, with whom she shared many of her
later years, alternating between Indiana and Florida.

A lifelong lover of animals, Donna was a loving
“grandmother” to Carla’s dogs and frequenter of parks and zoos, even
taking bananas for the monkeys of the Marion Zoo.  She sadly passed away on December
9, 2014 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease in Long Beach,
California.  Donna had resided in Southern California for the past
three years, enjoying the warm weather and ocean views, being closer to
her sons, movie outings, and frequent visits from her daughter.  She
was a cherished mother to her children  and an incredibly kind, loving and beautiful person.

She will be deeply missed by her eldest son Graig and his wife Patty (who
reside in Santa Clara, California, son Tim (Long Beach, California),
and daughter Carla (Aurora, Illinois).

A Celebration of her life will be held at 12:00PM Saturday, December 20, 2014 in the Gundrum Funeral Home with Funeral Celebrant Carla Barker officiating and burial will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery, Logansport, IN.

Visitation will be held from 9:00AM until the time of the service on Saturday at Gundrum Funeral Home.

You may sign the guestbook and send online condolences at www.gundrumcares.com