Mary A. (Mitchell) Murphy, 93, died Wednesday, May 27, 2020. She was the wife of the late Robert J. Murphy, and the former wife of the late Martin H. Odsen.
Born in Providence, she was a daughter of the late Francis R. and Marguerite C. (Kelly) Mitchell. Mary was an art teacher for 30 years at Gorton Junior High School in Warwick. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textile Design from Rhode Island School of Design. She also received an Art Education Degree at Rhode Island College for children with special needs and a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from Assumption College. For many years, she and her husband Robert volunteered in a Pastoral Care Ministry at Eleanor Slater Hospital and were active participants in several parish prayer groups. She was also a member of the RISD Alumni Association, the RISD Museum of Art, the Kent County Teacher’s Association, and the AFT Retiree’s Association.
She is survived by her son, Daniel Odsen, and was the mother of the late Michael Odsen. She also leaves her grandchildren, Nathaniel Mason and Amanda Odsen, and her great-grandchildren, Cole and Logan Mason. She was the sister of the late Francis R. Jr., William P., Stephen A., George W., Gene T. Mitchell, and Carolyn Thatcher.
A visitation will be held Sunday, May 31, 2020 from 3-5 p.m. in the Thomas & Walter Quinn Funeral Home, 2435 Warwick Avenue, Warwick. Relatives and friends are invited to a Mass of Christian Burial Monday, June 1, 2020 at 10 a.m. in St. Peter Church, Fair Street. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery, West Greenwich.
A two-time breast cancer survivor, memorial contributions in Mary’s memory to Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation, 249 Roosevelt Avenue, Ste. 201, Pawtucket, RI 02860 will be appreciated. Information and condolences, visit TheQuinnFuneralHome.com
