Murphy, Sandra L.

Feura Bush - Sandra L. Murphy, 62, entered into eternal life suddenly and unexpectedly on Friday, October 21, 2022 with her husband by her side. Born and raised in North Tonawanda (Buffalo) N.Y., she was the daughter of the late Arthur and Ruth Wittkop Pohl. Her deep and abiding Lutheran faith was founded on 8 years studying at their parish church’s elementary school. After public high school, she took on successively more responsible financial office positions, all while going to night school on the “McDonald’s plan” i.e. dinner was drive-through, culminating in a Bachelor of Science in Business Management (Magna Cum Laude) at SUNY at Buffalo.

During this same time, she worked in theatre, creating a production company as well as in community theatre culminating at Four Seasons Players in Lockport, N.Y. where, as president, she arranged for them to compete at the annual Theatre Association of New York State (TANYS) festival. The story goes that they then won for so many years that they were not asked to compete again. It was at this festival that she met her future spouse when he was teaching a stage lighting workshop and they “compared notes”.

After an AMTRAK courtship (he was in Albany), they married and she moved to Albany where she became the Grants & Finance Specialist for the New York Natural Heritage Program of The Nature Conservancy. She then became the New York State Finance Manager for The Nature Conservancy where, as one of the awards she received said, she was held “in awe and appreciation” for her successful completion of the sale of the Finch-Pruyn conservation easement (in the Adirondacks) to the State of New York. At the same time, she went to night school again to improve her skills, earning a Master of Science in Accounting from the College of St. Rose. Concurrently, she joined her husband on cultural exchanges to Italy and Sweden with the New York State Theatre Institute, learning some of each language before going so that she would be more useful.

A few years ago, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, so she decided it was time to join her husband in retirement and enjoy their 1885 house and their dogs. She knitted dozens of hats for newborns, enjoyed bible study with the ladies at church, lunched with her old friends from the Conservancy and was the resident expert in Excel for her husband in his work with the Jerusalem Cemetery behind their house.

The family would like to thank the EMT crew at the house and the ER staff at Albany Medical Center, all of whom did everything that could be done and did it with dignity and care, even after midnight.

She is survived by her husband of 27 years, Matthew T. Murphy, her sister Patricia Pohl; brother-in-law Tim (Donna) Murphy,nephews Tim, Patrick and Brendan Murphy, grandnephews Connor and Finn Murphy and grandniece Nora Murphy as well as cousins.

There will be a Visitation Friday, October 28, at 10 a.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 85 Elm Ave. Delmar, N.Y. followed by the Funeral at 11 a.m. Interment will immediately follow at Jerusalem Cemetery, Old Quarry and Collabeck Roads, Feura Bush N.Y. All are invited back for lunch at the church.

Memorial donations may be made to her spiritual home and salvation for the past 25 years, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 85 Elm Ave., Delmar, NY 12054 or www.blcdelmar.com/give

As Sandy and Matt said to each other whenever they parted, "Bye Honey, I love you."