09/30/1992
Patricia Ann Mark was born March 12, 1925 in Des Moines township, Prairie City, Jasper,
Iowa, the first born girl to Frederick Donald and Mabel Evangeline (Fox is adopted
name) Gravley.
She had two younger sisters, Shirlie Jo and Donna Lynn Mark.
She
married Joseph Merlin Murphy, March 22 1942, in Lancaster, Schuyler, Missouri. The
mother of four children, James Mark, Madonna Marie, Sheryl Jo and Billy Lee. Grandmother
to Shawn Myers, James Mark II, and Shay Devlin Murphy, Gary Joseph and Jodi Ann
Wallace, Paula Marie and Mark Aron Bevers.
Patricia graduated with honors from Knoxville.
She moved to Long Beach, California in 1949 when her mother became ill and stayed
to take care of her father. Joseph and Patricia later moved to Lakewood, California
and remained in the home they bought until her death.
She improved her typing skills
to 90 plus wpm, and secured a job at Douglas Aircraft. Later was employed at Rockwell
International in Downey, Laguna Niguel and lastly Anaheim in which she retired in
1987. She had a secret classified clearance and was editor for the Navy Publications
for the work that Rockwell did for the government. It was her and 1 other woman,
in Washington D.C. that knew each other’s job.
She was recognized many times for
her outstanding contributions in various programs at Rockwell, Fleet Balastic Missle
Program, Marine System Technical Publications, Poseidon Awards, Trident Submarine
Program as well as profuse recommendations on programs that improved her departments
functioning.
Patricia was a perfectionist, that is evident in her schooling , her
job and raising her children. She spent her retirement years, spending time with her family and returning to Iowa with her husband for visits with family and former
friends. She was loved by all that knew her, and will be missed dearly but not forgotten.
Patricia passed away, September 30 1992 and is laid to rest at Forest Lawn Cemetery,
at Cypress, Orange, California, next to her husband.