PAULA J. MURPHY

MEMORIAL DONATIONS MAY BE MADE IN PAULA'S NAME TO: ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL 501 ST. JUDE PLACE MEMPHIS, TN 38105-9959 www.stjude.org OR: PLANTING A TREE IN HER NAME www.alivingtribute.org MEMORIAL VISITATION: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2023 2PM TO 4PM STICKLE-SOLTESZ FUNERAL HOME Paula Jean Murphy unexpectedly passed away on September 16th, 2023. Paula was born in Fall River, Massachusetts to Edward and Vivian Kelley. She spent her early life raising her children in New Jersey before spending later years and eventually passing in Cape Coral, Florida. Paula grew up in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ with siblings Peter, Susan, and Rick, graduating from Ridgewood High School. She married Richard Armstrong where they had Scott, Kelley, and Amy, before extending the family with Dennis, Jeff, and Margaret after marrying Robert Decker. Paula dedicated her life and love to her six children as a full-time matriarch of the home. She then met her soulmate Frank Murphy who fulfilled her dreams and loved her with all his heart. They married on Valentine’s Day in 1999 and shared companionship until her passing. In 2001, they took permanent residence in Cape Coral, Florida where they shared a beautiful home. Paula showed her family and friends the beauty of life through simple moments and memories. In her limited kitchen spaces, she made hearty meals that were remembered even decades after the last taste. She made breathtaking paintings, crocheted, loved to listen to music and make everyone laugh with her quick wit and wacky humor - everyone that had the pleasure of being in her presence could feel the warm glow of her exuberant life and love. She was a woman of strong morals and independence, who knew how to hold her own in the toughest moments. Her memory is already seen in the prettiest sunsets, birds and butterflies, gentle breezes and rainbows. Only goodness and joy followed her. Paula was a loving and amazing mother to her children, their spouses and all of her grandchildren: Scott Armstrong and his children Katie and Anna Armstrong, Kelley Trilling and her husband Jeff and their children Jayme and Gabrielle Trilling, Amy Newman and her husband Dan and their children Tyler and Danielle Newman, Dennis Decker (predeceased in 2015), and his daughter Samantha Decker (mother Janet Thomson), Jeff Decker and his wife Laura and their children Julia and Kris Decker, and Maggie Decker. A memorial visitation will take place in her honor on Saturday, October 7, 2023 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm at: Stickle-Soltesz Funeral Home, 187 La Rue Road, Newfoundland, NJ 07435. The family requests that donations can be kindly made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959; www.stjude.org or towards planting a tree in her name; www.alivingtribute.org Thank you, Paula, Momsie, Nana, for giving us the opportunities to live full, laugh loud, and love deeply. You will be missed. On line condolences and directions: www.sticklesolteszfuneralhome.com.

PAULA J. MURPHY

April 21, 1944 - September 16, 2023