Obituary of Elinor L. Murphy

Elinor L. Murphy, a career state department staff member, formerly of Brighton, MA, died at her home in Sarasota, Florida on November 23, 2005. Her lifetime work as the trusted executive assistant of United States career diplomats and ambassadors took her to state department post all over the world. She was born in Lynn, on May 22, 1921. After schooling at Brighton High School and then Chandler Secretarial School in Boston, she began working for a Boston law firm, but was eager to pursue the adventure of Foreign Service. Ms. Murphy launched her state department career in 1954 as a 30-year-old in London, where she became the assistant to the deputy chief of missions. She was at the Suez negotiations in Egypt, in 1965 with Robert Menzies. Ms Murphy was then posted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she worked with James O’ Sullivan, deputy chief of mission at that U.S. Embassy. From Asia to the Middle East, Ms. Murphy next worked with Ambassador William McComber in Amman, Jordan. That four-year commitment was followed by the same role in Deli, India for eight years. In Tokyo, Ms. Murphy worked first for Ambassador Edwin O. Reischauer, Japanese scholar from Harvard University, and then for Ambassador U. Alex is Johnson. Ms. Murphy continued to work with Ambassador Johnson when he returned to Washington having been appointed Deputy Secretary of State, and further when he served as the U.S. negotiator at the Salt II talks in Geneva, Switzerland. He final tour of duty brought her back to London, where she worked with Ambassador Charles Price, and was in London in 1998 dealing with the aftermath of the Pan Am airplane crash over Lockerbie, Scotland. Ambassador Price felt that her service to the state department was so valuable that he extended her role beyond the state department’ s mandatory 35-year retirement, adding five years to her full state department career. Upon her retirement and return to the United States, Ms. Murphy toured this country as she had the world. Her beloved companion during those years was George Curran of Mill Valley, California, and for 15 years, until George’ s death, Ms. Murphy joined the vibrant family life of the extensive Curran family. Ms. Murphy was the sister of the late William H. Murphy Jr. of Brighton, Helen M. Daly of West Roxbury, and Harriett M. Noonan of Peabody. She is survived by her brother, Hubert T. Murphy of Ipswich. She was the devoted Companion of the late George Curran. She was beloved and admired by her 13 nieces and nephews as well as 19 grand nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday at 9:30 AM at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 LYNN STREET, to which relatives and friends are invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to the Perkins Institute for the Blind, Development Office, 175 N. Beacon St., Watertown, MA 02472 or the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, 495 Old Connecticut Path, Suite 220, Framingham, MA 01701