When my Mom was a kid, her extended family was not quite as close as our Murphy clan is today, but they were pretty tight-knit. My great grandmother Henrietta Murlin (nee Dwyer) lived in my Mom’s household for the last years of her life, so her children and grandchildren (that is, my Mom’s aunts and uncles and cousins) were paying frequent visits to their house. So although they didn’t do the mass family gatherings that my generations of cousins have been used to, they got to see each other quite a bit.
Henrietta and Glen Murlin, grandparents to all of the Murlin cousins
The Murlin cousins had frequent reunions throughout the early and mid-80’s, gathering at Indian Riffle park. The last one of these that I can remember with certainly came in about 1987. Of course, not only was my Grandma Murphy (nee Murlin) alive then, but several of her siblings were still living.
Early gathering of friends and cousins – from April 1951 for the occasion of Diana’s fifth birthday. Front row: Shirley Palmer, Gary Swartz (the Swartzes were second cousins), David (?), and Mike Murphy (son of Grandpa Murphy’s broter Duane). Row 2: Barbara Swartz, Ronnie Murlin, Diana, Sharon Gray. Row 3: Donna Gray, my Mom, Carol, Bobby, and Butch Murlin.
The reunions slowly petered out after this, although there were occasional gatherings, as recently as about 2005. My Mom thinks that I was in attendance at this gathering at her house, but I do not recall it if I was. And the fact that several of the cousins told me at our most recent gathering that the last time they saw me I was about ‘this’ tall, indicating the region of their knee, seemed to indicate that I was not there. Of course, that memory is false because I was significantly taller than a knee in the mid to late 1980’s.
The most recent gathering came on Sunday, December 5, at around noon at the Marion’s on Shroyer. My Mom and three of her siblings were present and five of her ten cousins were there. Everyone brought there spouses, but the only seepage into the next generation was Ashleigh and me.
The oldest of the five Murlin siblings was Marie, who had married Lawrence Gray. They divorced while the kids were still at home. Due to health reasons and other commitments, none of Marie’s children Rosetta, Lawrence Jr. (known as Sonny), Donna, or Sharon were present.
Next in line was my Mom’s uncle Bud, whose real name was Clarence. He had married a lady named Joan (pronounced Jo-anne), but despite loving kids, never had any of their own. Joan’s younger sister Rita married the next Murlin child, Bob. They had three kids: Bob Jr., Veronica (who always went by Ronnie), and Mark. Ronnie and her husband Dan and Mark and his wife Judy were both at Marion’s.
Mark & Judy and Ronnie & Dan, with Grandpa Murphy
The fourth Murlin child was Lawrence. Lawrence was a heavy smoker and passed away from lung cancer in 1969 while in his early 40’s. His wife Lilahmae would eventually remarry a man named Russ. Lawrence and Lilahmae had had three children and all were present at Marion’s: Carol and her husband Don, Lawrence Jr. (known as Butch) and his wife Chris, and Steve and his wife Lori. Russ, who soon to be turning 96, also was present and accounted for.
Don & Carol, Steve & Lori, and Chris & Butch, with Russ
And of course, Mom and her siblings (except for Darlene, who was on a cruise at the time) were all there along with Grandpa Murphy. Most of them would be moving onto another one of my Mom’s jewelry parties at Jan’s house that afternoon (hence Ashleigh’s presence).
Mom & Bob, Bev & Ed, Jim & Jan, Diana & Tom, with Grandpa Murphy
I had a great time snapping photos and chatting with some of my Mom’s cousins, who even if I didn’t know them by sight, I knew by name. Bev had a good idea and organized each cousin standing up and just giving a brief rundown of what they and their family had been up to over the past several years.
Catching up over pizza with Ed, Grandpa, Steve. Lori, Jan, Jim, and Bev
Our little anti-social group, me, Ashleigh, Mom, and Bob
Tom, Diana, Dan, Ronnie, Judy, and Mark
Don, Carol, Chris, Butch, and Russ
The cousins reunite: Mark, Ronnie, Steve, Jim, Carol, Butch, Bev, Diana, and Barb
Russ and Harold join the photo op
You might be surprised to learn that the five cousins who were not present actually all live in the Dayton area, so a larger reunion is certainly not out of the question sometime in the near future.
Return to December 2010…
Great job Brad! I hope all the cousins get on your blog and get to see your pictures and descriptions. You have a wonderful talent for getting the facts and sharing you views on events.
Thanks again!
Bev
December 14th, 2010
My husband is a descendent of Richard Murlin of Cornwall, England. Are you of any relation to this person?
Erma Murlin
June 27th, 2011