Jeanne-Marie Murphy

Jeanne-Marie Murphy of Alexandria, Virginia, passed away peacefully on June 13 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Her loving husband, Michael Morris, was by her side.

The daughter of Terrence J. and Mae McDonnell Murphy, Jeane-Marie was born and raised in Scranton. She was a graduate of Marywood Seminary and Marywood University. She had a long and distinguished career in the banking and financial services industry as a government affairs representative, including becoming the first woman to lead the government affairs office of a financial institution in Washington DC. Later she opened her own firm advocating on behalf of credit unions, banks, and investment concerns.

Jeanne-Marie had a lifelong love of travel. Just after her college graduation, she and her two best friends combined their meager savings to travel Europe in a Volkswagen bug. Later, on a trip to Ireland, she met the man who would become her husband and beloved partner of more than 30 years. She and Michael traveled far and wide together, while also savoring time at their homes in Alexandria and Kilkenny, Ireland.

Jeanne-Marie loved life with a passion that inspired and enriched the lives of everyone around her. Her intelligence, extraordinary spirit, sense of humor, and dedication as a wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend was an inspiration to her nieces and nephews. She traveled the world with them, too, gifting each of them a trip to anywhere in the world of their choosing for their high school graduations. Destinations included several countries in Europe as well as an African safari.

She is survived by her husband and two brothers, Terrence (Barbara) of Pittsburgh and Kevin (Mary Ann) of Clarks Summit, as well as by many beloved nieces and nephews and her Morris family in Ireland.

Friends will be received at the Chapel of Cathedral Cemetery at 11 am, on Tuesday, August 5, prior to interment. A memorial service was also held at Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria on July 25.

Some words from Ralph Waldo Emerson honor Jeanne-Maries legacy: To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better is to have succeeded. A life well lived, indeed.