Lavona M. Murphy

LaVona Murphy, 84, passed away suddenly July 13, 2018 in Hill City, Kansas. LaVona was born February 21, 1934 in Dighton, Kansas to Pete and May (McClelland) Eitel. She was the baby of the Eitel family. She attended school in Dighton and graduated from Dighton High School in 1952. Out of high school LaVona wanted to be an airline stewardess. She went to Nebraska for school but didn’t finish because she was homesick. She moved back to Dighton and began working in the banking business. LaVona knew James Murphy in high school and they dated occasionally. In fact, the first time she remembered seeing Jim was in about the seventh or eighth grade. As the story goes, she was walking with her father and saw Jim spit on the sidewalk. Her dad looked at her and said, “Look at that hooligan spitting on the sidewalk!” When that “Hooligan” returned from the Army, LaVona and Jim began dating. They dated for about a year before they were married July 8, 1956 in Hoxie, Kansas. Four years later the twins, Marsha and Michael were born two and a half months premature, in Denver, Colorado. Marsha’s birth weight was 2 pounds 12 ounces and Mike weighed in at 2 pounds 12.5 ounces. Obviously, the doctors did not expect them to live. But live and grew they did. Jim and LaVona felt very blessed to have a heathy boy and girl to complete their family. The family lived in several places throughout Kansas and Colorado before settling in Hill City, where they owned and operated Murphy’s Meats from 1975 to 1996. LaVona also worked in the banking industry for several decades. LaVona loved her job. She especially enjoyed spending quality time with her family and eating out with her girlfriends. LaVona was one of a kind and had a zest for life. If you were fortunate enough to be her friend, she would ration out her dry humor and quick sarcasm without skipping a beat. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Jim; sister, Evelyn Bretz; brothers: Orville Eitel and Howard Eitel; brothers-in-law: Estel Van Pelt, Frank Bretz, Jr and Okie Young; sister-in-law, Barbara Eitel and nephew, Dennis Bretz. Leaving to mourn are her children: Marsha and husband James Deines of Derby, and Michael Murphy of Dumas, Texas; sister, Gladys Young of Scott City; two grandchildren: Kayla and Brian Deines of Derby; and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.