Idylle S. Murphy

Idylle Murphy, 94, died peacefully at the Breckenridge Fairmount Center on April 8.

Born in Hanna, Indiana and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, Idylle met her husband, William R. McLaughlin, at General Electric in Chicago where they were both employed. They moved to northeast Ohio in the 1950s and were longtime residents of Willoughby.

As a very involved mother of four, Idylle contributed enormously to her church and the community. She was generous in spirit, with a grand sense of fun and curiosity, and her family and her many friends were a very important part of her life.

After her husband’s death in 1988, Idylle rekindled the flame of a WWII romance with fellow Oak Park native, Michael J. Murphy, whom she married in 1990. Idylle was instantly endeared to eight new grandchildren, and the two families--seven children, eighteen grandchildren, and now fourteen great-grandchildren –became fast friends and one family under Grandma’s attentive eye. Her keen sense of humor, wise advice, and the sound of her laugh will be missed by all.

Idylle was a life-long lover of learning. Her formal education included the Illinois Institute of Technology, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lake Erie College (summa cum laude) in Painesville, Ohio, and graduate work at John Carroll University in learning disabilities.

For several years she worked as a special education teacher for children who struggled with reading in the Willoughby-Eastlake system. On a more informal level, Idylle was also quick to adapt to new gadgets, explore the internet, learn new routes to good health, and nearly everything she cooked was an experimental “new recipe.”

Idylle took great pleasure in artistic endeavors, primarily painting. She was recognized in a juried show at Willoughby Fine Arts in 2005. She also loved to write stories from her life, and enjoyed reading and sharing her work with the like-minded “Wrinkled Writers” group. Her garden was one of her favorite places to spend the day, and in each of her area homes, she created a variety of landscapes.
Perhaps her greatest gift to the extended family and to the many who loved her was a penchant for gathering people together for any occasion—the “Co-eds”, the coffee ladies, the “Open Jaws”, the “Potluck” group, the neighborhood picnics, and any and every family event imaginable. Idylle’s parties were a guaranteed good time.

In addition to her dear husbands, Idylle is predeceased by her parents Otto and Ella Saffran and sisters, Carol and Myrtle. She is survived by her children Patricia McLaughlin, Carol Fishwick (Daniel), Glenn McLaughlin, M.D. (Becky) , David McLaughlin (Synn Lymn), Lena Forsyth (Tony), Ken Murphy (Lauren), Diane Weishaar , and their children and grandchildren.

A memorial service for Idylle will be held on Saturday, April 26, 3:00 p.m. at Willoughby United Methodist Church, 15 Public Square. The Rev. Don Perks will officiate.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Breckenridge Village/Gracewoods Beautification, 36855 Ridge Road, Willoughby, Ohio, 44094, (attn: Jim Hickey) or Willoughby Food Pantry, 15 Public Square, Willoughby, Ohio, 44094.