Joyce Elaine Murphy

Joyce Elaine Murphy (Joy), age 72, died unexpectantly on June 4, 2023. Joy was a highly independent woman of passion and possibility who touched countless lives for the better. Born in Oak Park on July 4, 1950, she grew up believing the annual fireworks were for her birthday. She made lifelong friendships as early as elementary school extending to ETHS and beyond. A self-starter by nature, she founded and grew her own property maintenance and snow removal business, Murphy Maintenance, (she loved the snow) adding her real estate license in the 1980’s and 90’s. Her last job before retirement, with MTD Property Management, proved to be the best job with the best boss of her life, where she was able to share her special wisdom and learn a great deal while forging deep relationships with a new circle of friends. Helping others was a priority for Joy and she was a true champion of people in need. Always volunteering for places like the Runaway Hotline, Suicide Hotline, Howard Brown Center, and various homeless shelters, she worked to develop and co-found Goldie’s Place, a center for the homeless in the mid-90’s, featuring employment, career clothing, housing referrals, and the only totally free dental clinic in Chicago that helped thousands of individuals over its 20+ year history. She always said that she learned as much or more from the participants as they did from her. They needed someone in their corner and Joy was the perfect model. She was also a mentor to untold numbers of friends, a process that enhanced her life for decades and supported her spiritual growth through the practical Christianity of Unity Church. Two of the loves of her life were the Cubs and her adored 10-year-old greyhound, Maddon. Always connecting, she joined the two together by naming her dog after the 2016 World Series Champion coach. With a penchant for teaching and a curiosity about new things, Joy started teaching Mah jongg first at the Sulzer Library community center and more recently in the building where she lived. Mah jongg was the fuel but Joy was the spark that made the fireworks. While she created community wherever she went, the greatest of these is the loving community where she lived for the past 3 years. In their deep affection for Joy, they have enfolded her and her family in loving support.

She will be missed by all whose lives she touched, most, perhaps, by her dear friend of 45 years, Johanna Dalton; her loving sister and brother Genevieve (Richard) Powers and Kevin (Colleen) Murphy; her brother in-law Jim Carden; her loving aunt/godmother Elaine Booth; her adoring nephews and niece Matthew, Ryan, Anthony, Eddie, and Bridget; and her loving great nieces and nephews Isabel, Carter, Cora, Carmen, Lizzie, Connor, and Lexi. Joyce was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Anne Carden.

A visitation will be held on Saturday, July 8 from 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM with a Remembrance Ceremony starting at 3 PM at Drake and Son Funeral Home, 5303 North Western Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625. A private family burial will take place at Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Evanston, IL. Memorial Contributions may be sent to the Michael J. Fox Foundation or Greyhounds Only Foundation in loving memory of Joyce.