Obituary of Dawn Murphy

Dawn Marie Murphy, 51, of Montclair, died Monday at the Villa Marie Claire hospice in Saddle River, N.J. She had been diagnosed with kidney cancer in November. Ms. Murphy was an award-winning digital photography and art teacher at Mt. Hebron Middle School before taking medical leave in December. Previously, she taught at an elementary school in Orinda, Calif., was a public relations professional in Los Angeles and worked in Poland and South Africa as a free-lance news photographer and media consultant. Visitation with the family will be held on Friday, April 15, between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Union Congregational Church, 176 Cooper Ave., Montclair. A service celebrating Ms. Murphy's life will be held on Saturday, April 16, at 6 p.m., also at Union Congregational Church. Ms. Murphy was born in Milwaukee and received degrees in communication arts and fine arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She had been working online toward a Master of Arts in Teaching from LaSierra University in Riverside, Calif. Her love of art and people often had her engaged as a community volunteer, including painting murals at orphanages in Warsaw, Poland, and volunteering in a soup kitchen in Johannesburg, South Africa. In Montclair, she could be seen with groups of photography students, lying on the ground to capture images of daffodils. Her students have consistently taken top honors at the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens Annual Art Exhibition, and have been recognized in state and national contests as well. In 2009, Ms. Murphy was honored by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation for her exceptional work with students with learning disabilities. In 2004, she was named teacher of the year by the Orinda, Calif., Rotary Club. Ms. Murphy is survived by her husband, Dean Murphy, and their three sons, Christian, Justin and Devin, all attending Montclair Public Schools; her parents, Russell and Donna Runge of Cape Coral, Fla., her sister, Heidi Wied of Madison, Wis., and her brother Russell, of Hubertus, Wis. Donations in Ms. Murphy's name may be made to CaringBridge at www.caringbridge.org/visit/dawnmurphy/. For condolences, visit the "Guestbook" tab on the same Website. Additional donations may be made to the Campaign for Villa Marie Claire, 718 Teaneck Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666, and Union Congregational Church, 176 Cooper Ave., Montclair, NJ 07043. Funeral arrangements made by the Hugh M. Moriarty Funeral Home, 76 Park Street, Montclair, NJ.