The Terrible Catsafterme

On August 29, 2009, my Great-Uncle Duane Murphy passed away at the age of 90. Duane, whose official given name was Harry after his father, was 90 years old and living at the Englewood Manor nursing home, in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. Duane (standing on the right in the photo at left with my Grandpa and their Mom Edith) was my Grandpa Murphy’s brother and he is fondly remembered by his family for his dry wit and his sarcastic sense of humor, which apparently trickled down to some of his extended family over the years. Read the rest of this entry »

This year in our installment of photos from early Murphy Christmas celebrations, color comes to the Murphy family as we enjoy these photographs from the Christmas of 1967. Some appear to be taken on Christmas morning in the house on Cunnington Lane, while some later in the day for the Murphy family Christmas party. This in fact was not so much a ‘Murphy’ gathering but rather a ‘Murlin’ gathering, since the siblings present were those of my Grandma’s.   Read the rest of this entry »

A while back, I posted some great vintage postcards that my Grandpa sent to my Grandma before they were married. These were written during his trek through Colorado with his brother Virgil during the Summer of 1937. Below are some photos taken during the trip. Most interesting are shots taken at the grave of “Buffalo Bill” Cody – proving once and for all that I am not the first family member fascinated by ‘famous graves’ and having my picture taken in front of historical monuments.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here are the remaining two (out of six) postcards that my Grandpa wrote to my Grandma during his 1937 excursion to Colorado before they were married. The first one was written on Monday, August 16 and mailed from Golden. Here he mentions seeing Buffalo Bill’s gravesite. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one in the family who is interested in ‘famous graves’. The second and final card, describes the experience of going up into Pikes Peak. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are the next two postcards in this series from my Grandpa’s trip through Colorado in 1937 that were written the Summer before he married my Grandma. The first one was written on Sunday, August 15 after touring through Boulder. The second was written first thing Monday morning once he had arrived in Estes Park. My Grandpa’s brother Virgil was accompanying him on this trip through Colorado, and I’m betting it would have been a fun trip to be on. Read the rest of this entry »