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On April 5, 2023, Donna Patterson Murphy passed away peacefully at her Columbus, MS home. Donna was 84 years old, just one day short of 85. Born and raised in Pontotoc, MS, Donna and her 9 siblings were close. Donna was a proud mother of 4, step-mother to 5, grandmother to 19, great-grandmother to 7 and aunt to many. She was lovingly called Sis, Mama, Granny Donna or Aunt Donna by most people in her life. Donna became a surrogate mother or grandmother to numerous people over her life as she provided support, care, kindness, banana pudding, biscuits and chocolate syrup.
Donna was proud of the over 20 years she spent with Contact Teleministries, first as a volunteer and then as Executive Director. Some of Donna’s greatest skills were listening and caring, which she used at Contact, a 24-hour crisis helpline for people in need in Columbus, MS. Donna met the love of her life, Edward Vincent Murphy (Murf), during her work with Contact. A favorite story Donna shared was that she did not like him when they first met because he was a Yankee and gruff military man. Murf stopped her one night after class and asked how Donna made it through her divorce, which began a friendship first that bloomed into a lifelong partnership. Murf and Donna were married on December 2, 1978 and spent over 35 years loving each other prior to Murf’s death in 2013.
Donna is survived by her brother Doug (Patsy) Patterson; her children Aneva Holloway, Lesa (Steven) Levering, Gary Holloway, and Richard (Lawana) Holloway; her step-children Patrick (Beth) Murphy, Kathy (David) Merkel, Eileen (Mike) Skaines, Brian (Cyndi) Murphy, and Peggy Leiser; her grandchildren; Amanda (Jenni) Stokes, Lindsey Stokes, Robert (Kim) Levering, Thomas Levering, Delaine (Mikaela) Holloway, Emma Holloway, Aaron (Alisha) Boyd, Adam Boyd, Austin (Kathryn) Boyd, Kaden Holloway, Rylan Holloway, Myka Murphy, Dr. Sarah (Trey) Merkel, Rachel Merkel, Jordan (Gianina) Skaines, Nikki (Jaylon) Cowan, Michael Murphy, Matthew Murphy, Carson Leiser; and seven great-grandchildren; and an honorary daughter Gail (Homer) Daniels and granddaughter Nichole Rutherford.
Donna’s family will have her celebration of life on Sunday, April 9 at Tutor Memorial Funeral Home – Pontotoc. Visitation will be held at 3 pm and funeral at 4 pm with graveside services following at Baldwin Memorial Garden. Ahead of her death, Donna requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to a charity of your choice in her name.
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