Caroline Joy (Mann) Murphy

Caroline Joy (Mann) Murphy, age 96, died in her Freestone, Calif., home on Feb. 19, 2025. A lifelong resident of Sonoma County, Caroline was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, Thomas L. Murphy (d. 2015) and daughter-in-law Betty Murphy (d. 2009). She is survived by her sister Lois (Nick) Schaeffer, sons Patrick Murphy, Sean (Pattie) Murphy, and daughter Ellen (Ray) Gianoli. The beloved grandmother of 11 grandchildren, soon-to-be 22 great-grandchildren, 11 great-great-grandchildren—with more on the way, she also has many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Caroline’s life could be defined by her great love of people, which she lived out among her family, friends, community, and 25 years as a bus driver for Occidental’s Harmony School. Caroline grew up on a ranch north of Bodega Bay with the Pacific’s beach as its westernmost boundary. She rode a horse to a nearby one-room school and always gloried in the coastal climate, making her last trip out to the beach a month before she died. She graduated from Analy High School in 1946 and married Connecticut native Tommy that summer. They met at a dance two years earlier and corresponded during WWII. A convert to Catholicism, Caroline was a faithful parishioner and member of the guild at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in Bodega. She was also a founding member of the Freestone Volunteer Fire Department Women’s Auxiliary, and belonged to various family and friends clubs.

She played piano and sang alto; Tommy was an avid accordion player, and the couple enjoyed many musical hours with the Accordion Club of the Redwoods and the Five Valley Accordion Club in Hamilton, Mont., where they spent much of their time during retirement. Her love of neighbors and appreciation for life was evident from the Sunday suppers she would prepare for her family – who will ever forget her blackberry pies? – to the daily walk she always took. No matter what was happening or how busy she might be, she had time to visit and listen; a more caring soul would be hard to find. She was a marvelous woman who will be greatly missed. Visitation will be held Friday, March 7, 2025, from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm at PARENT-SORENSEN MORTUARY-SEBASTOPOL, 301 S. Main St., Sebastopol, CA. The Vigil Service will be held at 7 p.m. at the mortuary. Family and friends are also invited to attend the 10 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial, Saturday, March 8, 2025, at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church, Bodega. Internment immediately following at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Bodega.

In Lieu of flowers, due to this season of Lent, please consider memorial donations to the restoration funds of St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church or to Calvary Cemetery, P.O. Box 339, Occidental, CA, 95465; phone 707-874-3812.