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Susanna Marie “Cookie” Murphy

October 13, 2023

Susanna Marie “Cookie” Murphy, 81, of Bear Creek Township, passed away on Friday, October 13, 2023, in Allied Service Hospice Center, Wilkes-Barre.

Born in Wilkes-Barre, she was a daughter of the late John and Susan Petrin Stepanski.  Sue was a 1960 graduate of Coughlin High School and attended Luzerne County Community College.  She was employed for many years at First Eastern Bank, starting there while in high school.  She retired from PNC Bank in 1998.

Sue was a member of St. Nicholas Church in Wilkes-Barre.  She was active in her younger years with little league baseball and the Girl Scouts.  She also served as a CCD teacher at St. Chistopher’s Church in Bear Creek.

Sue loved to travel both stateside and in Europe to see her two sons and grandchildren.  She was a devoted wife, loving mother and above all an outstanding and loving grandmother.  Sue was an excellent listener and she had an unselfish and giving nature.  Though she had many beautiful traits, she will be best remembered for her genuine kindness and compassion.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brothers, John and Robert Stepanski.

Sue is survived by her husband of 55 years, Michael Murphy and by her sons, Michael Murphy and his wife, Carin, Beaconsfield, England and David Murphy and his wife, Libby, Loveland, CO; grandchildren, Erin, Brandon, Donovan and Tatum.  She is also survived by her sisters, Jean Catina and her husband, Frank, Forty Fort, Ann Marie Popovitch and her husband, Robert, Wilkes-Barre, Carol Lupton and her husband, Richard, North Carolina, Donna Drutarovsky and her husband, Andrew, Dickson City and Joanne George and her husband, George, Dallas; sisters-in-law, Betty Stepanski, Indian Lake and Rita Stepanski, Jenkins Township; along with numerous nieces and nephews.

Words cannot express how deeply she was loved and how greatly she will be missed.  Her memory and spirit will be carried within the hearts of those who loved her.

A special acknowledgement and sincere thanks to Sue’s sister-in-law, Kathy Minnick, who visited her every day during her long hospital stay and managed her care. Sue’s husband and family would also like to thank the nurses and staff at Allied Hospice for their compassionate care.

A celebration of Sue’s life will begin with a visitation for family and friends from 5-8 pm on Tuesday from the Nat & Gawlas Funeral Home, 89 Park Avenue, Wilkes-Barre and will continue with a service at 9:30 am on Wednesday from the funeral home.  A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10 am in St. Nicholas Church, 226 S. Washington Street, Wilkes-Barre.  Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Hanover Township.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Sue Murphy’s memory to Allied Services Inpatient Hospice, 200 S. Meade Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA  18702.

Condolences may be made by visiting Sue’s obituary at www.natandgawlas.com.