Martha Woods Murphy

The Mass of Christian Burial will be held for Martha Woods Murphy at 1:30 on Saturday, March 20 at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 1100 N. College St, Auburn, with interment at Memorial Park Cemetery, 1000 E Samford Ave, Auburn.  Mass will be celebrated by Rev. Msgr. Michael L. Farmer, Pastor.  Visitation will be at Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home from 6-8 pm on Friday, March 19.

Martha, age 77, was a long-time resident of Auburn, AL until 2016, when she relocated to Hanceville, AL.  Her Lord and Savior lifted her into the Kingdom of Heaven on March 14.  Martha passed away at UAB Medical Center in Birmingham, at peace in the loving company of her children.  Martha was born in Louisville, KY on February 20, 1944, the tenth of 16 children born to the late Joseph Allen Woods and Hester Smith Woods.  She is preceded in death by her husband, John “Mike” Murphy; son, Michael; and pre-born son, Anthony.  Martha was the faithful wife of Mike Murphy in a holy marriage of 50 years.

She is survived by her children: Marie Murphy Wooldridge of Wellington, FL; Catherine Murphy-Smith (Kenny) of Hanceville, AL; Christina Murphy Crockett (Jeff) of Birmingham; Joseph of Hanceville; John Paul of San Antonio, TX; her grandchildren: Alexandra Wooldridge LoBiondo (Sean) of Lake Worth, FL; Carley Wooldridge of West Palm Beach, FL; C.J. of Lake Worth, FL; Luke and Max of Wellington, FL;  Taylor Chavez-Rey and Olivia Murphy of San Antonio, TX; her great grandson: Liam LoBiondo; her brother: David Woods, and her sisters: Julia Farese, Barbara Devine, Linda Vertrees, and Wanda Ice of Louisville, KY.  She was also the aunt and Godmother to many wonderful children.

Martha was a true servant of the Lord, devoting her life first to God, and a very close second to family.  Her husband Mike often referred to her as the “heart” of the Murphy family, and her unyielding faith and devotion to Jesus Christ was a shining example to her children and all to whom she had the pleasure of meeting and serving.  Her devotion to her disabled son, Michael, was a perfect example of unconditional love. Never yielding, she stayed by his side until his final hours as he endured a great deal of suffering.  Martha loved all of her siblings and always kept them in her prayers. Her siblings called upon her quite often knowing how powerful her prayers were. Martha was a staunch defender of the unborn and their mothers in the pro-life mission, advocating for life, our most precious right and gift.  Together with her husband, Martha was a founding member of Save-a-Life of Auburn, now Women’s Hope Clinic, where they devoted themselves to the well-being of many expectant mothers and their unborn children.  This organization provided both spiritual and physical hope and sustenance to many mothers and infants.  At times, Martha even opened her home to expectant mothers, offering a safe place to stay, as a show of God’s grace and mercy.  When not attending to her family duties, Martha also spent time at her local church parish, volunteering alongside her fellow parishioners.  A true believer in the Divine Mercy of Christ, she was a living example, that through Him, ALL things are possible.

The family would welcome contributions in Martha’s memory to Adult & Teen Challenge of Alabama, alatc.org   450 Drew Ave, Lincoln, AL 35096 or The Sister Servants of the Eternal Word,   sisterservants.org   3721 Belmont Rd, Irondale, AL 35210