- Date Of Birth: December 3, 1922
- Date Of Death: September 2, 2020
- State: Illinois
Catherine (McCauley) Murphy, 97, of Peru, passed away, Wednesday, September 2, 2020 at Heritage Health in Peru.
Catherine, the second of seven children, was born in Raywick, KY on Sunday, December 3, 1922 to Edwin (Ed) and Alma (Lamkin) McCauley. Although her parents farmed in the Bradford and Tiskilwa area at the time, her mother chose to take the train “home” to Raywick, KY for the birth of her first two children.Catherine attended a one room school house in Tiskilwa countryside, then Tiskilwa High School and finally St. Mary’s Academy in Nauvoo, IL. After high school she worked at Conco’s in Mendota and was a nanny in Princeton.
Later she worked at Electrical Utilities in LaSalle.On September 20, 1947 she married Gaylord “Murph” Murphy. The ceremony was held at St. Patrick’s Church in Arlington, officiated by Msgr. James Garahan. Peru residents and members of St. Joseph Church since 1949, this is where they called home. Catherine was a member of the Alter and Rosary Society, the St. Joseph’s Mother’s Club, the St. Bede Mother’s Club and she was also a participant at the Eucharistic Adoration at St. Thomas More Church in Dalzell. She was the consummate Cubs fan. At 93 years old she was able to enjoy their 2016 World Series victory.
She was an excellent cook and her wonderful deserts will not be forgotten. She enjoyed family vacations to Wisconsin and traveling the United States with her husband in their retirement years.She is survived by her three children, Patricia Donna of Peru, Maureen (Terry) Holzner of Spring Valley and Gayle Murphy of Mequon, WI; 4 grandchildren, Wendy Lindenmeyer (Bob) Semyck, Chad (Cyndi) Lindenmeyer, Jessica Bickett and Peter (Alyssa) Murphy; 11 great grand-children; Robert, Miranda, Jacob, James and Joseph Semyck, Jessica Wells, Christopher Lindenmeyer, Cadience and Addilyn Bickett and Malcolm and Samuel Murphy; her youngest sister Mary A. Kuebel of Sublette; a sister-in-law Mary McCauley and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, a sister Lola Stanard and 4 brothers, James, Oscar, Al and Felix McCauley.
