Jane was born on August 28, 1913 in Grammer, Indiana, the son of Lewis J. and Lillie Davis Friedersdorf. She was the youngest of five children: Nellie (1897 - 1978), Roy (1901 - 1981), Harold (1903 - 1991), and John (1911 - 1985). Her given name at birth was Amelia Jane, but she went by Jane her entire life. She married Herschel E. Murphy (1907 – 1969) of Columbus, Indiana in 1936. They had one son, Michael E. Murphy (1938 – 2017) who was a career Air Force officer. Michael is survived by his wife, Chin Hwa Murphy, of Melbourne, Florida.
Jane was a member of First Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana for more than six decades. She was a genealogist, publishing several reference works, and a member of Daughters of the American Revolution, Indiana Historical Society, and the Indiana Genealogical Society. Jane was a lifelong Christian, enjoyed her family and many friends, and loved travel, particularly to sleuth out the next family tree mystery for someone.
Jane is survived by her five grandchildren: Mark Murphy (Lana) of Noblesville, Indiana; Matt Murphy (Jennifer) of Loveland, Ohio; Mallory Murphy (Becky), Michele Murphy, and Mary Murphy of Melbourne, Florida. She has eight great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life for Jane will be held at First Christian Church (531 5th Street) in Columbus, Indiana, on Saturday, March 30 at 10:30 AM. Visitation will begin at 9:00a.m., and a reception will be held afterwards.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to First Christian Church at https://fccoc.org/give.
