Kathleen M. Murphy Obituary
It is with deep sadness that her family shares: On November 14, 2024, Kathleen Marie Murphy, known by her family and friends as "Katie" or simply "Kate," passed away at the young age of 34. Katie was born on January 28, 1990 to Ben Murphy and Michelle Moreau (Morrello) in Glens Falls, NY - the fourth sibling after her three older brothers.
Katie graduated from Ballston Spa High School in 2008, and went on to later graduate from SUNY Plattsburgh with her Bachelors degree in 2012. She then began living and working in New York City. Katie spent her years splitting time between New York City and traveling back upstate for every holiday, family birthday, or just to lend a helping hand when family members needed it. She spent many years living in Harlem with her then boyfriend Arry Arizaga and her dog Riley, spending their time anywhere from Yankee Games to Broadway plays. Katie was a patron of the Lincoln Center Theater and frequented many art museums both throughout New York City and globally. She later moved in with her best friend Xiomara Rozon and when not in Harlem, Xiomara and Katie traveled around the world together whenever they got the chance.
From a young age, Katie would never take "no" for an answer. She continued to live in this way in her later years. You could not tell Katie what to do. If she set her mind to something, even as the youngest sister of three protective older brothers, she was going to do it. When given the choice to sleep with her dreams or wake up and chase.
Them, she chose the chase. As such, she was always on the move- literally- hiking, skiing, kick boxing, sky diving, joining running clubs and eventually running marathons in both Philadelphia and New York City, as well as internationally in Germany. When her cousin Kelly (who was more like a sister to her) was moving back to upstate NY from California, it was of course Katie who offered to make the cross country drive with her. She was a globetrotter - traveling with friends and family or sometimes taking solo adventures all over the world to the Maldives, Amsterdam, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Canada, to name just a few.
You gotta do what your heart tells you to do, a quote from A Bronx Tale (one of her favorite movies) is how Katie spent her time- fully seizing the day, every day. When not working and traveling, she enjoyed cooking and had recently started learning the piano. She also had started scuba diving lessons and on top of all of this still somehow managed to spend time living a life of service: volunteering her time assisting with fundraising efforts for Safe Inc of Schenectady, New York- a program that supports homeless at risk youth. Katie was the life of every party, always finding a way to make those around her laugh, and she would never turn down a dare. It is an impossible task to squeeze the vast stretch of her life, legacy, and perhaps what she'll be remembered for most of all: all the laughter, into such a short excerpt. She truly lived life.
Katie's memory will live on in the hearts of her parents Ben Murphy (Maureen), Michelle Morello (Tom), and her brothers Brian (Milissa), Mike (Courtney), and Kevin. She is survived by many Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. Lastly, Aunt Kate will especially be missed by her nieces and nephews who she cared so much about and always made time for: traveling from Pennsylvania to upstate New York to make sure she never missed a birthday party for them (Bryce, Keegan, Elle, Rudy, and Jay).
May we all live a little more as she did- making the most of life- and always finding time to check in on everyone she knew. Katie's life was so much more than how it ended.
Services for Katie will occur at the following places and times: Calling hours Tuesday November 19, 2024 from 4-7pm at St Paul's Church (121 North Main St. Mechanicville, New York). A Mass of Christian Burial will occur the following day, Wednesday November 20, 2024 at 10:00am at St Paul's Church, with burial to follow in St. Paul's Cemetery. All those who ever shared a laugh with Katie are encouraged to attend. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that a donation be made in her honor to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Capital Region New York Chapter at https://supporting.afsp.org.
