Card showcasing my uncle Bill and my Dad opening up their gifts on Christmas morning

Family Christmas portrait with my Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, and Uncle Bill

Duane served in the United States Army during World War 2, stationed in Japan, working as an aide to General MacArthur. My Grandpa remembers going to see him graduate from Officer’s Candidate School in Fort Riley, Kansas, in 1941, the year he graduated from high school. After the war ended Duane served in the Army Reserves for 14 years, retiring from the service as a Major.

The Murphy family: Louise, Duane, Edith (mother), Harold (my Grandpa), and Harry (father)

In civilian life, he worked as an accountant and auditor working for the Ohio Paper Company, the Dayton Steel Foundry, and eventually for the State of Ohio, from which he retired. He then went on to volunteer his services in the finance department of Good Samaritan Hospital.

Although we seldom socialized with Duane and his family, my parents became close with his daughter Bobbie back in the mid-1980′s and by default I would socialize with his granddaughter Becky and her younger brother Charles. Most recently, we all visited Duane at the nursing home on Saturday, December 13, 2008, to celebrate his 90th birthday on December 9. Here I was reunited with Becky after more than twenty years.

I attended the nice service at the Tobias Funeral Home in Englewood on Thursday, September 3. It was nice to see all of Duane’s family surround him and hear testimonies by Bobbie and Becky of how much he had meant to their lives. It was nice to see Charles again as well, although I doubt he remembered me from the rambunctious days in the 80′s. Duane’s son Mike, who lives in North Carolina, was also at the service and asked me to serve as a pallbearer. And although I hadn’t met his children (at least that I recall), I got to meet three other second-cousins Sara, Matthew, and Jonathon, all carrying on the Murphy name.

I did not attend the burial service at the Glen Haven Memorial Gardens in Donnellsville, but I understand that it was memorable as Duane received a 21-gun salute and a rendering of Taps. The flag was folded and presented to his widow Norma. After the service was a gathering at the Happy Corner Church of the Brethren. I found it ironic that my family had always been associated with the Brethren, and we never knew that Duane was a member. It makes one wish that we had been more involved with him and his family.

Presented here are some photos collected from various sources of Duane over the years, culminating in our last meeting with him in December 2008.

Duane with his sister Louise and my Grandma Loretta. Their husbands Carroll and Harold (seen in the pictures that they’re holding) were off to war

Duane in 1949 on the horse Pepper

Duane and his wife Norma with their kids Bobbie and Mike

Duane, Louise, and my Grandpa on the occasion of their Mother’s passing . Photo taken on March 25, 1985.

My Grandpa’s last meeting with his brother on December 13, 2008…

…and my last meeting with him as well

2009 will continue…

I might point out that the tradition of the Murphy gathering on Christmas day was not broken until this very year, 2008. As I write this, I am getting ready to head out to the Murphy Christmas party, which is coming two days after the actual holiday. You will be able to compare and contrast the participants when the website coverage of that event comes to the Terrible Catsafterme.

5-year old Darlene visits Santa Claus at the Eagles Christmas party

 Mom and Bev all dressed up during the holiday season. Orange and white were normal colors in 1967.

 Back row: Grandma Murphy, Great Grandma Murlin, Diana, Great Grandma Murphy, Darlene. Front row: Bev, Mom, Tom, and Jim

  Tom chats with Jim over a box of tools

 Grandma Murphy (at right with Grandpa) with her three brothers and their wives: Lawrence and Lilahmae, Bob and Aunt Rita, and Bud and Aunt Joan (pronounced like Jo-Anne)

I had originally assumed that the photos below were also from the 1967 Christmas, but after some lively discussion as seen in the comments below, have determined that they are most likely taken at Grandma and Grandpa’s 25th wedding anniversary around September 13, 1968. They were taken at Diana and Tom’s first home after they were married, located on Yorkshire Drive in Dayton.

 Grandpa and Grandma open up their anniversary gifts

Grandpa handles the gift opening, while Grandma hangs on to the card

Check out last year’s pics here…

 The Murphy kids in front of their ’57 Chevy in 1961

 Mom at Bryce Canyon during the Summer of ’61

Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Bev, and Jim (in the funny hat) overlook the Grand Canyon

 Bev and Mom, two nice Catholic girls

 Darlene and Mom welcome their new niece Cathy in early 1967

 Grandma, Bev, and Mom hang out in Seista Key in 1968

 The Murphy kids all grown up (almost)

Mom and one of her boy toys as the decade comes to a close

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you…see you at the Golden Dragon.

But my Mom was furious that I couldn’t start school because of it. She had stopped working when Denise was born and would remain a stay-at-home Mom for the first two years of Denise’s life. So rather than try to contend full time with me day in and day out in addition to Denise, who was approaching five months of age, she enrolled me in Hope Nursery School on Monday, September 13. This was located in the Hope Church on Wilmington Pike in Centerville. I have only vague recollection of it, but do recall that my best friend there was named Jason.

I only went to the pre-school classes two or three days a week. Under the tutelage of Jan Painter and Pat Groeber, I flourished as both an intellect and a class clown. At one point, one of the teachers banished Jason and I out of the classroom into the hall with the strict instruction to sit in a chair facing the wall and not look at each other. I turned around and saw that Jason was breaking the rules. I yelled out to the teacher that “Jason is looking at me!!” She asked me how I would know that he is looking at me unless I was looking at him. I had no answer. 

The first week I attended class must have been a pretty big one for me as it not only included my first exposure to school, but my first television appearance as well. At the age of four-going-on-five, I had been a lifelong fan of The Uncle Al Show, so I was ecstatic to have my chance to be one of the kids participating on Wednesday, September 15, just two days after starting school. The show was filmed in Cincinnati by Channel 9 and appearing alongside of me were my cousins Lori and Debby and my best friend from across the street, Andrea Ferrenberg.

I’m seated second from left. Andrea is hidden next to me. Lori and Debby are standing right in front of Uncle Al.

I can’t remember a whole lot about the experience except for the wretched marshmallow ice cream cones which I loved that we got to eat and take home after the show. Unfortunately, this was in the days before VCRs were common – and the show was aired live – so I never actually got to see it. My Aunt Diana came along with us as well in order to see her girls’ participation. After the show, we got one of those nifty black and white 8×10 photos of the cast and kids with a facsimile signature of Uncle Al and Captain Windy, Mr. Patches, and Lucky the Clown mailed to us. This was well before my autograph collecting days so I didn’t care that the signatures weren’t real! And my Mom snapped some fabulous behind-the-scenes color shots of us on the show’s set that blow away the black and white picture…

 Getting the kids under control

 Andrea and Lori get to participate in one of the segments…

 …in front of a backdrop added in front of the merry-go-round

 Lori’s sixth birthday was four days away, so she got to ride the special merry-go-round

 Lori gets a hug from Uncle Al on the way out

 A color version of the cast shot

 Little kids on a big set

 Uncle Al greets me, Debby, Lori, and Andrea

I wish I had kept my bowtie like Denise did

1976 will continue…

To see Denise on Uncle Al, click here…