Sr. Nora Philomena Murphy, OP

Sister Nora Murphy, a Dominican Sister of Tacoma was born in Rockchapel, Ireland on June 26, 1930, to Martin and Nora (Fleming). After completing her education, she worked for a few years and then entered the Dominican Sisters in Crosshaven, Ireland in 1951 along with her sister, Sister Mary Pat. She arrived at Mt. St. Dominic on March 13, 1952, and received the Dominican habit on June 19, 1952, receiving the name Sister Mary Gerald.

In 1954 she made her first profession and began a lengthy teaching career in Washington and California. For many years she taught in the Catholic School system and was the last principal at St. Patrick School in Tacoma. She received her BA from St. Martin College in Olympia and a Masters degree from Washington State University in Pullman, WA.

In 1973 she moved to San Ysidro, CA to companion Sister Roseann Cordova and to assist in advocating for justice for the people in the area. She was involved in social action in the local area, taught in the public schools in San Diego and later at Marian Catholic School. Sister Nora worked tirelessly on behalf of peace and justice, engaging in local protests, rallies and writing letters to newspapers.

In 1996, Sister Nora was part of a committee drafting our current mission statement. A few years ago, she and Sister Roseann moved back to Tacoma for health reasons and continued to participate in the peace and justice activities of the community.

Sister Nora moved to St. Joseh Residence in 2021 and resided there until her death. During her time at St. Joseph Residence, she continued to be active in her passion for peace and justice, participating in local activities and just enjoying her sisters in community.

Her two sisters “the twins “Sisters Mary Pat and Peg predeceased her in death last year. She is survived by her sisters Betty and Brigid and their spouses, nieces and nephews abroad as well as her nephew Michael (Liesel) who reside in Monterey, CA.

Memorial donations may be made to the Dominican Sisters of Tacoma Retirement Fund, 1801 Lind Ave. SW -C, Renton, WA 98057.