Mildred (Millie) Anna Murphy was the oldest daughter of five children (Roger Williams Rice who died in WW II, Walter Earl Rice who was elementary school principal and minister, Evelyn Phyllis Rice McCleary who married to Jim McCleary and lived nearby in Medford, Massachutts, and Barbara Alta Rice who die young after having six kids of pancreatic cancer.
Her father, William Roger Rice, married Mildred Smith Lord Rice when he was 42 and she was 23 or 26. William’s parents were born in Wales. William Rice first married in Easton Maryland and had several children, one of whom was a policeman and another a fireman. Mildred Smith (daughter of Bert G and Ellen Smith) was orphaned with her brother George at an early age and was fostered with Lena Whittsley Adams and her husband on a farm in Georgetown, Massachusetts, where Millie and her siblings often visited when growing up. Millie remembers Gramma Adams having a big library and encouraging Millie to read. Gramma Adams said Millie was a homely child who was thin and sickly.
They were very little money; their shoes had to last a year and they got their clothes second hand. Food was scarce. William Roger Rice was a bricklayer and died when Millie was young. The family moved from a walk-up in Charlestown, Massachusetts to Woburn and had five acres. They tilled the soil, canned peaches and apples, and blue Hubbard squash, and slaughtered their own chickens.
Millie left school in tenth grade and went to work to help her mother support the family. During World War II, Millie worked in an ammunition factory and was clever with her hands and adept at shaping bomb heads. She and her mother earned enough money to send Walter to school to study for the ministry. Millie married Steve Murphy in November 1950 after he returned from his navy deployment. She worked in the First National Bakery he managed. On their first date, they had lobster, and she spent part of the day learning how to eat lobster.
With his VA money, Steve and Millie bought a house in Cape Elizabeth, Maine near the ocean. Their neighbors were Betty Davis and Gary Merrell. Michael was born there on July 31, 1951. Millie planted a large garden and helped supplement Steve’s income by cleaning houses. She saved to earn a set of cutlery, one setting at a time. Her special friends were Anna and Carl (Cullie) Wingren, Barbara and Jack Arnaldo, Bill and Marion MaCarthur, Sue and Frank Noyce. Gary Noyce was like a third son. Anna had her own cooking show. Anna taught Millie to make braided rugs. Millie had five miscarriages.
In June of 1956 the family moved to Stoneham, Massachusetts, across from Tom and Doris Cocoran, who despite being a space cadet, was Millie’s life-long friend. Millie was a terrific candlepin bowler and loved to dance. She was very proud that Michael graduated from Hamilton College and Stephen graduated from University of Maine at Orono. Millie was remarkably handy and did most of the repairs, painting, and yard work. Her special passion was braiding rugs. She bought and cut the wool in strips, washed it, braided strands of cloth, and then sewed them together to make lovely rugs. She sat on the floor during the winter months to makes these rugs.
She became close friends with neighbor Donna Broderick who was like a daughter to her. Millie loved her family and was the center of many family gatherings with Stephen and Carolyn, Michael, Cathy, Colin, and Devon. Donna’s family always included Millie in their family gatherings. Millie, although hating flying and disliking being away from home, visited Michael and Cathy and the boys in Asheville, NC, Annapolis, MD, Cleveland Heights, OH, and Bedford, NH. She sewed maternity clothes and diaper bags for lots of young mothers. She read voraciously and took five or six books a week out of the Stoneham Library. Her nickname was Nana the Santa because she started shopping for amazing bargains right after Christmas and filled everyone’s stockings and always gave generous gifts. She was a whiz at Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune as well as being clever with cross word puzzles.
Around 1988, Millie fell from a ladder while pruning a high branch. She broke her wrist and pelvic bone, and took months healing.
Millie took care of her rock garden, plants, and mowed her lawn until she was 82. She took wonderful care of friends. As her dementia worsened and her heart weakened, her family (Stephen and Carolyn, Michael and Cathy), her neighbors (John Wood and Donna Broderick), and her caregiver, Amy Forshee, took marvelous care of her in her Stoneham home. She talked daily on the phone to her sister Evelyn and to Donna. It was very upsetting to her to not be able to drive and to lose her independence. She didn’t recognize her home toward the end of her life. In January 2011 Amy became a 24/7 caregiver for Millie. Mary substituted for Amy. Donna began coming three times a week. Carolyn, Michael, and Stephen went to countless hospital visits, organized all the care-giving and medication, got wheel chairs for Millie, had bathroom aids and stairway railings installed for Millie.
September 4, 2011: Millie entered Kaplan Family Hospice House on 78 Liberty Street in Danvers, MA. September 9: Millie was alert for an hour, and her bed was wheeled outside her bedroom partially into the patio where she talked about ways to improve the garden. September 10, 2011: Many friends and family visited Millie. Walter Rice and Linda Chase arrived in the early evening and Walter held a family prayer and blessing. 10 pm: Millie died. Cathy was holding her hand and Michael was by her side. The moon was full. The sky was bright
September 15, 2011: Millie’s service was held at the Barile Family Funeral Homes in Stoneham, Mass. Patti Keele presided. One of Millie’s braided rugs welcomed friends and family. An arrangement of plants were on the casket and another of Millie’s braided rugs was placed by the kneeler. Chocolate kisses were a treat for everyone. A board of photos celebrating Millie and a DVD of photos celebrated Millie’s life. Millie was buried next to Steve at the ? cemetery in Stoneham, MA.