Lou Arden Murphy

Lou Arden Murphy, 85, passed away December 27, 2014 in Kenneth City, Florida. Lou was born to Arden Dudley and Faye Gladys (Cartwright) Andrews in El Dorado, Arkansas on February 20, 1929. After graduating from El Dorado High School in 1947, Lou attended Syracuse University (NY) where she studied journalism. An opportunity arose to join the burgeoning airline industry, and Lou began her career as a Supervisor of Reservations and Ticketing at Mid-Continent Airlines, which later merged into Braniff Airways. Lou married North Central Airlines pilot Robert J. Murphy on April 4, 1953, and settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota and started a family. In 1969 they relocated to Boulder, Colorado and eventually moved to Estes Park, Colorado in 1975. In 1976, Lou began working and writing for the Estes Park Trail-Gazette newspaper. From 1976-1980, she wrote a popular weekly humor column called "Mrs. Murphy's Chowder," and also covered lifestyle, arts and special interest topics for the newspaper. In 1980, Robert and Lou hit the road on a multi-year cross-country RV travel adventure, and visited every state capital. In addition, they retraced the historic Oregon Trail, following the pioneers' route from Missouri to Oregon. Robert and Lou relocated to Kenneth City, Florida in 2000. Lou was an avid scholar of American history, especially in its relation to her avocation of genealogy. She enjoyed the challenge of uncovering arcane facts and relished the intense research. In pursuit of her pedigree, she frequently traveled to visit courthouse archives, libraries and old cemeteries in a quest to prove her lineage. As part of her genealogy work, she researched and co-authored a three-part book called "A Southern Legacy: Descendants of John Muse of Virginia." Lou was a member of Daughters of the American Revolution, and Pi Beta Phi Sorority. She is survived by her daughter, Melanie Murphy, and preceded in death by her husband, Robert J. Murphy, and son, Robert A. Murphy. She was laid to rest at a private interment alongside her beloved husband at Bay Pines National Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Florida.