Joanne Lee Murphy, lifelong teacher, dies at 88

Joanne Lee Murphy passed away peacefully at the Denver Hospice on June 8, 2024 surrounded by her family.

She was 88.

Joanne was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, author, teacher and member of too many clubs to mention.  

Joanne was born on Aug. 22, 1935 at the Jane Lamb Hospital in Clinton, Iowa to Clarice and Henry Meints. She had two sisters, Betty (Simms) and Charlene (Mattingly).

While living on the family farm in Clinton County, she attended the local school, a one-room school house.  When she was in the fifth grade, the family moved to DeWitt Iowa to a house on Second Avenue.

She graduated from DeWitt High School in May 1953 and from Iowa State in June 1957 with a major in Home Economics and Child Development.

Following her graduation from Iowa State, Joanne moved to Denver to take up a teaching position at Lincoln Elementary School.  While in Denver, she met her future husband, William (Bill) Murphy. They were married on July 21, 1962. 

During her life, Joanne was very active in health and fitness and wrote two books on fitness and nutrition. In addition, she produced several videos on the same topics and was active in multiple clubs: hiking, biking, book, PEO, bridge, church, snowshoeing and fitness camp (to name a few). 

She is survived by her husband, Bill, her three children (David and his wife Delphine, Jody and her husband John and Lisa) and six grandchildren (Madison, Ryan, Clarice, Alexander, Neil and Andrea) and her beloved dog, Shanti.

Memorials can be made to the American Cancer Society.

Celebration of Life will be held on July 5 at Parkview Congregational Church, 12444 E. Parkview Ave, Aurora at 11 a.m. Daylight Mountain time.