Ann Murphy

Ann (Hund) Murphy, 74, passed away Monday, June 11 in Manhattan. She was a small-town Kansas farm girl who had a great love for the outdoors, rural Kansas, and the natural world. She cherished all children and had a special gift for making them feel special and loved. The oldest daughter of Steve and Mary Hund, Ann had a wonderful childhood on a farm near Paxico, KS, with her five siblings. Always preferring outside farm chores to indoor house or kitchen tasks, Ann had a keen interest in and love for the work horses and other animals on the farm. Ann graduated from Kansas State University in 1966 with a degree in Elementary Education. She married the love of her life, James "Pat" Murphy from Abilene, KS, in June 1966. She was always proud to be the wife of an Extension Agricultural Engineer. Ann taught grade school at Seven Dolors Catholic School in Manhattan and Flush, KS. Ann loved being an at-home mom to two children, Craig and Paula. She volunteered for school and 4-H activities and delighted in watching her children play sports and participate in other events. Ann was proud of Craig and Paula's accomplishments and their families. Pat and Ann lived in rural Riley County until moving into Manhattan in 2010. Ann worked for the Army Education Center at Fort Riley. After retiring, she volunteered at the Friends of the Konza Prairie as a docent, and enjoyed researching her family genealogy. Pat and Ann have cultivated and donated several thousand pounds of tomatoes, watermelon, and other home-grown produce to the Flint Hills Breadbasket each summer. They have been known to lend a hand to a neighbor, friend, or stranger. Ann is preceded in death by her parents, and she is survived by her husband Pat; son Craig Murphy (Jacqueline) of Boise, ID; daughter Paula Walter (Matthew) of Portsmouth, RI; sisters Patricia Wing (Dennis) of Woodland Park, CO; Cecilia Hund Reid (John) of Vancouver, BC, Canada; and Denise Hund (Ray) of Reno, NV; brothers Steven "Bud" Hund (Kathy) of Paxico, KS; and John Hund (Terry) of Paxico, KS; and four grandsons, including Max Murphy and Spencer Murphy of Boise, ID, and John Patrick Walter and Matthew Walter of Portsmouth, RI. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Manhattan Catholic churches (St. Thomas More, Seven Dolors, or St. Isidore Catholic Student Center), the Kansas 4-H Foundation, or the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department at Kansas State University.