Frances Ann Murphy, 77
Frances Ann (“Duchie”) (DeMatteo) Murphy died peacefully at her home in Hingham on Jan. 21, surrounded lovingly by her family. She was 77.
She was born on Sept. 1, 1943, to Rose and Martin DeMatteo, of Milton, Wellesley, and Hingham. She spent her early childhood in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood, but the majority of her childhood was in Milton.
Duchie attended high school at Jeanne D’Arc Academy in Milton and college at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I. She graduated with a bachelor of arts degree and went on to become an elementary school teacher. She was blessed to have had extraordinary and lifelong friendships with the special women she met in both places.
Duchie met and fell in love with her husband, Philip Murphy, at a young age, and they wed in July 1966 – a union that lasted 54 years. After their wedding, the couple moved to Hingham, raising their three daughters and enjoying lasting and meaningful relationships with countless friends and neighbors.  
Duchie was a natural nurturer and will be remembered as a stand-out mother, wife, and homemaker. To know her was to love her, and to enjoy her company was a privilege. Her door was always open to her friends and family. Those who were lucky enough to enjoy her company will surely remember many happy memories and delicious meals around her dinner table.  
Throughout life, Duchie enjoyed her strong faith, her close-knit family, gardening, traveling, cooking, horseback riding, playing bridge and Scrabble, the music of Josh Groban, and countless little pleasures like crossword puzzles, word games, jigsaw puzzles, and a good salty potato chip. 
Most of all Duchie took great pleasure in her summer home on Nantasket Beach in Hull, not only the beautiful natural setting that brought her joy but also her ability to share it year after year with her daughters, their families, and her grandchildren. Duchie truly made her home in Hull a special place, and her presence will be felt there for decades to come as she leaves behind so many memories of kindness, warmth, and laughter for her family, friends, and all others who knew her.
Duchie was predeceased by her parents. She is survived by her husband, Philip; her siblings, Marty DeMatteo, of Hingham and Sarasota, Fla., and Claire (and Richard) Taylor, of Towson, Md.; her daughters, Laura (and Andrew) McIntosh, of Ripton, Vt., Nancy Murphy (and Mic Grant) of Middleborough, and Sarah (and Michael) Kiernan, of Norwell. She also leaves her five lucky grandchildren: Kate, Anna, and Amy Kiernan, of Norwell; and Beth and Matthew McIntosh, of Ripton, Vt. She is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.
Duchie’s family would like to thank her huge circle of friends for the messages sent, cards written, and phone calls and visits made in the last weeks of her life. We are awed by the lives she has touched.
A funeral Mass was held at St. Ann’s Church in Hull on Jan. 25. The family is planning a celebration of Duchie’s life this summer.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Duchie can be made to Friends of the Paragon Carousel, P.O. Box 100, Hull, MA 02045, or to
Wellspring, 814 Nantasket Ave., Hull, MA – two of the many causes Duchie was passionate about.