Linda Ann Murphy

Linda Ann (Johnson) Murphy died peacefully on Wednesday, March 30, 2016, in Hendrick Hospice Care at Hendrick Medical Center after a courageous battle with cancer. Her life was built upon a solid foundation of faith, family and friends, and she was blessed throughout her life with an abundance of all three. Linda was born in Ardmore, Oklahoma, to George Kenneth and Beatty Mae Bailey Johnson on October 29, 1940. Throughout childhood, Linda was a dancer, and during high school worked as an assistant for the Ruth Miller Thompson Dance Studio. She graduated from Ardmore High School and attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority. After leaving SMU, she worked in Dallas as a graphic designer and layout artist. While in Dallas, she met Kenneth T. Murphy, and they married on May 26, 1963. Kenneth’s career in banking took them to Abilene, then to Tulsa, and finally back to Abilene, where she supported his career at First Financial Bankshares, Inc. They were the parents of two children, of whom they were so proud, Kathryn Ann and Kenneth Taft, Jr. Linda was active in the Junior League of Abilene, was a board member of the YWCA (now known as the Alliance for Women and Children), delivered for Meals on Wheels and enjoyed working with many volunteer projects in the community. After surviving breast cancer in 1989, Linda had the vision to create Breast Cancer Awareness, a program for underprivileged women in the area. Through this program that she helped create, women were able to receive mammograms and diagnostic procedures. The program continued for more than 20 years and detected more than 250 malignancies. As a child, Linda loved horses. On Saturdays her father would take her to a ranch to see and pet them. With her budding artistic ability, she would spend hours drawing these beautiful animals. Linda’s artistic talent continued to serve her throughout her life. As a painter, she won prizes in several art shows and shared her art with those she loved. Linda had an especially keen eye, which allowed her to love and appreciate a beautiful sky, animals, birds and all that nature has to offer. Linda’s greatest joy during her last 10 years was her time in Ruidoso, New Mexico, at her cabin on the river. That was where she found her spiritual strength and embellished her love of nature. It was in New Mexico where she met her friend, Joel Carson, a lawyer and lobbyist from Artesia, who shared Linda’s love of horses. At Joel’s ranch in Hope, New Mexico, she became quite a horsewoman, even helping with cattle round-ups and brandings. She also helped Joel remodel and decorate the ranch house, which made it possible for his children and grandchildren to spend time at the ranch together. Among Linda’s many lifetime joys, one of her greatest was her time as a grandmother. During her visits with her grandsons, she would encourage their passions for learning and creativity by reading to them, giving them special gifts, and taking them and their parents to interesting and fun places. Linda is survived by her daughter Kathryn Murphy Shuler, of San Antonio, son Kenneth Murphy, Jr. of Abilene, son-in-law Joel Shuler, grandsons Alexander and Nicholas Shuler, all of San Antonio, sister Karen Johnson Harrington, brother-in-law John Harrington, both of Tulsa, Oklahoma, niece Emily Harrington and her husband Debashis Ghosh, children Mira and Leena, all of Denver, Colorado, and nephew David Harrington, of Tulsa. Linda’s life will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Friday, April 8, 2016 at the Church of the Heavenly Rest, Episcopal in Abilene. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Linda’s name be made to the Ben Richey Boys Ranch and Family Program, Meals on Wheels Plus in Abilene, Cancer Services Network of Abilene, the Presbyterian Medical Care Mission in Abilene, Hendrick Hospice Care in Abilene or the charity of your choice.