Obituary of Ellen Ann Murphy
Age 53, of Munich, Germany, formerly of Mt. Morris, passed away Thursday, August 10, 2023. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11:30 am, Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at St. Mary Catholic Church. Rev. Fr. Roy Horning to officiate, with burial to follow at Calvary Cemetery. Ellen's family will be present to receive friends from 10:00 am until the time of Mass at 11:30 am. Expressions of sympathy may be placed on Ellen's tribute wall at martinfuneralhome.com.
Ellen was born June 6, 1970, to Nicholas and Mary Carol Murphy in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the oldest of four children. Ellen graduated from Utica High School, class of 1988. She played the trumpet in the band and was outstanding on the debate team. Ellen attended and graduated from the University of Michigan, College of Engineering, where she majored in Industrial Operations Engineering, class of 1993. Her career took her to Kentucky as an undergraduate, and then with Eaton Corporation to Kearney, Nebraska; Marshall, Michigan; and then Van Wert, Ohio. She bought a house in Homer, Michigan which was about 12 miles from her work. Ellen was a cycling enthusiast, and 12 miles was about the right distance to commute by bicycle to work. During this time, Ellen discovered the Wish A Mile Bicycle Tour which she completed more than once, riding 300 miles in 3 days. Ellen went to an intensive Italian language program before being sent to work in a factory in Italy. It was not common to have a woman working in a factory in Europe. She was in Italy in 2001 when Italy was in the process of celebrating the 100th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi's death. She recalls some of the formal happenings. Coming back to Marshall and Homer, she enrolled in the MBA Program at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, evening program. Ellen earned the MBA in 2004. She worked for Harbour Consulting which later joined Oliver Wyman. Ellen traveled often between Detroit and Europe for the company. One comment had to do with flying from Pontiac International Airport to Stuttgart Germany. In order to get something from under the seat in front of her, one had to actually stand up. There was that much room. Eventually, Ellen and some associates formed a partnership. Each associate found a position with one of their clients, and the partnership was dissolved. For the last ten years, Ellen started with Crouse-Hinds Series, which later merged with Eaton as Global Energy Infrastructure Solutions, Eaton. Ellen's thought was now she could wear her 10-year watch from Eaton. This meant a flat near her work (Eberbach) and a home base flat in Munich. Ellen made friends in so many different parts of her life. Special bonds with so many beautiful people. Ellen learned about Geo Caching somewhere and it became a favorite pastime. She researched and found caches around the world, as close as down the street from the family home in Utica to parts of Europe. One weekend, she went to 7 different countries in Europe finding a geocache in each of them. Ellen relished Munich. She described Munich as a collection of unique neighborhoods. Each neighborhood had its own Christmas Market with its own specialties. Oktoberfest in Munich was one of the highlights of the year. She shared so much with her Munich friends. Ellen's work friends became more important with the coming of Covid. Ellen's annual trip to see family was suspended during 2020 and 2021. Ellen made the trip in 2022 and was looking forward to the trip in 2023 when health issues forced her to postpone. Her work friends were the ones who became concerned when they could not contact her. The family owes these friends, Stefan and Christian, so much. We are grateful. Ellen's roots in Mt. Morris Township go back to the mid 1800s with the Murphy family and the early 1900s with her maternal relatives, the Hawkshaw family, and the Echlin Family.
Ellen's memory is cherished by all who knew her. Surviving are her parents: Nicholas Murphy and Carol Murphy; her siblings: Suzanne (Peter) Daly of Fairfax, Virginia, and their 6 children, Nicholas of Somerville, MA, Ron (Allyson) of Ann Arbor MI; aunts, uncles, cousins; and her dear friends from work and Munich, Germany. She will be missed.
Ellen's obituary was lovingly written by her family.