MURPHY, Katharine E. of Dedham, died peacefully in hospice at 101 years on August 18, 2025. Judy was a resident of the Franklin Square community in Dedham for 94 years. She is pre-deceased by her father Thomas F. Murphy, a colonel in the Yankee Division in Europe during WWI, her mother Helen Stetson Murphy, a homemaker, and her brother Thomas F. Murphy, Jr, a WWII navy fighter pilot.
Judy spent 27 years as a much-loved teacher in the Dedham School System, and as a young woman, she was one of the first stewardesses for Eastern Airlines. At barely five feet tall, she stood on her tiptoes to qualify. Judy is a graduate of Manhattanville College and is in the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame for basketball and field hockey. What she lacked in height, she made up for in skill and determination. She also excelled at golf and tennis and competed nationally in senior tournaments. She could often be seen around Franklin Square, with her beloved Keeshonds, where she had many friends. In her later years, she and her best friend, Terry, competed nationally in dog shows and dog agility competitions, and won many ribbons.
A visitation will be held at the George F. Doherty & Sons Wilson-Cannon Funeral Home, 456 High St, Dedham on Thursday, Aug. 21 from 8:30-9:45am followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Mary’s Church, Dedham at 10:00am (accessible parking in rear). Relatives and friends kindly invited. Interment in St. Mary’s Cemetery, West Roxbury.