Obituary of Dorothy L. Murphy

LITTLE FALLS - Dorothy L. Murphy (Potrikus), age 90, of Little Falls, NY, passed away on July 5th, 2019, at the Little Falls Hospital, surrounded by her family.

Dorothy was born in Cooperstown, NY to Frances (Stefanski) and John Potrikus, on April 24th,1929.  She grew up in Cooperstown and the family moved to Little Falls when she was a teen. She attended and graduated from St. Mary’s Academy, in Little Falls and resided there for the remainder of her life. Dorothy married Thomas Murphy, the love of her life for 71 years, in 1948.  They had four children. 

Besides being a great mom to her children and a devoted grandma, Dorothy had other passions.  She loved plants and gardening and birds (especially cardinals), reading, crafting, woodworking and writing. She wrote and published two books based on her family, many children’s stories and lovely poetry. One of her books was based on family camp life, which she always treasured. A lifelong passion for Dorothy was her spiritual exploration and she had a deep ongoing connection with her angels.

Dorothy was predeceased by her parents and six siblings.  Surviving are her loving husband, Thomas; her four children, Thomas (Irene), of Fairfield, Iowa, Steven (Elizabeth), of New Paltz, NY, Lynn Hart Phillips (Thomas), of Saranac Lake, NY and Sharon (Thomas) Nagle, of Herkimer, NY. She is also survived by her beloved grandchildren, Tom (Ed), David, Darla, Christopher, Bevin, Melissa, Emily, Tom and Wendy. She had thirteen great-grandchildren who blessed her later years.

Funeral services for Dorothy will be handled by Enea Family Funeral Home, 24 West Monroe Street, Little Falls, New York. They will begin on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, with a prayer of transference, at 10:30 AM at the funeral home and proceed to Holy Family Parish Church, corner of East Main & John Streets, Little Falls, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM by Rev. Terence Healy, assisted by Deacon James Bower. Interment will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Town of Herkimer. Calling hours at which her family will be present at the funeral home are on Monday, July 8, 2019, from 4 until 8 PM.

Donations will be accepted in her honor to any charity of choice.

The family wants to express their thanks, love and appreciation to the staffs of both Alpine Rehabilitation Center and Little Falls Hospital, for the excellent and loving care they gave to Dorothy and her family.

Arrangements are with Funeral Directors Harry J. & Kevin E. Enea and Martin L. Ciaccia (315) 823-2424. To leave an online note of sympathy please visit www.eneafamily.com on the Internet.