Gloria L. (Bent) Murphy of Brockton passed away peacefully at home on January 12 with her sons John and Paul at her side. She was 88 years old. She was the wife of the late Judge Francis P. Murphy, and daughter of the late Harold D. Bent, a former three-term mayor of Brockton, and the late Elva M. (Ahlstrom) Bent. She grew up in the city and graduated from Brockton High School, Class of 1941, who voted her 'best looking' in their class. After attending secretarial school, she was employed at the W. L. Douglas Shoe Company in Brockton, and then at the Fore River Ship Yard in Quincy. It was there that her future husband Francis saw her for the first time and said "that's the girl I'm going to marry!" And marry they did, in April of 1947, settling in Brockton, where they raised a family of four.
She was active in many civic and religious groups, such as the Ten Times One Club, the 20th Century Catholic Club, and the Fortnightly Club. But like all great moms, her family was her greatest passion and joy, and she devoted her life to them. She enjoyed spending summer vacations with her family on Lake Dunmore, Vermont in the 1960s and 1970s, and then on Martha's Vineyard in the 1980s, 1990s, up until the year 2009.
She brought a genuine happiness and love to everything she did, with a strong desire to do the very best she could for her loved ones. And her family benefited greatly from that love, a love that will live on long after her, comforting those that cherished her most.
She is survived by her four children and their spouses: Paul F. Murphy and his wife Marylou (Koslowsky) Murphy of Brockton; John P. Murphy of Brockton; Charles D. Murphy and his wife Danielle (Slingo) Murphy of Long Island, New York; and Nancy L. (Murphy) Blanchard of Bridgewater; and by her grandchildren Patrick F. Murphy, Susan K. Murphy, Helen L. Blanchard, Cory E. Blanchard, Alexa R. Murphy, and Jolie C. Murphy; and by her niece Marsha M. (Bent) Reid and her husband Kenneth W. Reid of Plymouth, their daughters Laurie C. Reid and Karen R. Drollett, and a granddaughter, Mattea C. Elliott.
Visitation will be held in the Conley Funeral Home, 138 Belmont Street (Rte 123) Brockton Tuesday 4-7pm. A funeral procession will form at the funeral home on Wednesday at 8am for a Funeral Mass in Our Lady of Lourdes Church at 9am. A private burial will follow in Union Cemetery, Brockton.