Murdock Muse January-February 2003 - Part 2


R.I.P. ROBERT B. MURDOCK
Darryl Hotaling

Robert (Bob) B. Murdock, Keith's nephew and son of the late Brian Murdock, Ken's first son, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, September 6, 2002. Bob, the brother of Jeanne Murdock Tripp, was 32 years old.

Keith received a call from our local Police Department shortly before 9:00 p.m. on the 6th and was asked to go the the Waterbury Hospital. Upon arriving, he learned of Bob's unexpected passing. Keith made the calls to other family members and helped as much as he could, while feeling a heavy loss. Bob was so talented and his passing is a great loss.

On September 12, a funeral service was held in Thomaston, CT at the funeral home. Many young people came to the service and were visibly shaken at the loss of their friend. After the service, some of his friends released doves in his honor. His ashes were later scattered in the fields he played in at the home he lived in as a young boy.

Bob owned a tatoo studio in Waterbury and his art and his spirit will live on for many years to come.


UPDATE FROM SOUTHAMPTON
Jeanne Tripp

We celebrated our anniversary a day early as Nov. 4 fell on a Monday and work, for some reason, does not offer our anniversary as a college holiday. We actually left the house without the girls - a rare occasion. Even rarer was the fact that David was off on a weekend. We celebrated briefly with a wonderful dinner at the Outback Steakhouse, one of our new favorite places. It was not exciting, but we enjoyed our time together.

We were shocked to lose Bob in September. What a shame that such a talented young man was not allowed his full years to develop and appreciate his art! We always knew he was special, but we certainly learned how much his friends, acquaintances and clients thought of him. As he currently operated a tattoo studio, many people were proud to show how proud they were that they had a memory of him right with them at all times. It was touching to see all the sentiment about Bob. Unfortunately, he leaves a young daughter, Rosemarie, who is nearly 2-1/2 years old. She is a strong girl and we feel sure she will do well despite this loss of her father.

Our two girls are such wonderful joys in our lives. Samantha will be 5 soon, and just seems so big to me. She loves to read, and is trying to learn how to do so herself. She also loves to draw, and we relish every piece of artwork. Nicole is 21 months old, and loves to do everything her big sister does. She loves to do art as well, and is fun to watch as she concentrates so hard on her work.

We have had our first concert of the season with the Springfield Symphony Chorus (check out my web page for this group at http://members.aol.com/SpfdSC.) Samantha attended her first chorus concert, though she has been to Holiday Pops concerts twice. She really enjoyed the concert, and both she and Nicole are singing parts of Orff's Carmina Burana which we are performing in the spring. It is so wonderful to share my love with them. Samantha now wants to be a conductor; a choral conductor part time and a train conductor part time. Good plan, as you do need a second income when your career is in music.
Click here for a picture of the girls.


AVIATION: CATALOGUING AND WRITING
Gene Murdock

Things are going well over at the Aviation Museum. I have now catalogued all the books, about one thousand, and have started on the labeling and shelving. I scour all the antique malls in a one hundred mile radius of home and find all sorts of aviation books and artifacts that I take to the Museum.

Early in my library work the museum director pointed out a few books that had passages in them that beautifully described what she called the "joy of flight." I have been singling out these books, adding to them and looking for more descriptive passages. It got to the point where I conceived the writing of a book titled "The Joy of Flight," using these passages as the core of the text. I had started taking notes, drafting the first chapter, collecting material and looking for a suitable publisher. The other evening I was looking through the aviation section of the new Barnes & Noble and picked out a likely candidate. When I opened it and started reading, I realized IT WAS MY BOOK! Somebody had already written it! A little different concept and approach, but using the same main text and citing the same authors I had selected. RATS!

But I have another concept in mind that will make a good article for one of the flying magazines, so I am pursuing it instead.


FORGIVENESS & HEALING
Mary Reese

Mary's story can be found on her web page.


CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD
ANNUAL UPDATE
Scott and Nancy Murdock

We hope this year has been good to you and finds you well and happy!

We got to some traveling this year. In January we took a trip to Abilene, Texas. (OK, so we all def ine travel a bit differently!) Nancy wanted to see some old friends who are now stationed at Dyess AFB. An old friend whom she was stationed with in the 70's and 80's is now a civilian, working for a lieutenant who was an airman working for Nancy in the 80's at Bergstrom AFB. Talk about a small world. In May, we also made a trip to Colorado Springs. We reconnected with a friend of Scott's from Bergstrom AFS whom we haven't seen in many, many years. It was great to catch up with him and what's going on in his life. We also had the opportunity to see old friends from Barksdale AFB whom we try to see at least every other year. Colorado was great!

In January, Nancy had minor surgery to correct some long-standing sleeping issues. She had her tonsils, along with a few other things, taken out! This is definitely not something for anyone to do except small children. She spent the first week sound asleep (with the help of some really good drugs!) followed by another week not being able to talk or go to work. The cats didn't know what to think because of the strange noises and the lack of awake time. In March, Scott also had surgery to repair some problems in his wrist. His recovery went much smoother and he only missed a week of work.

July brought some bad, but not unexpected news. Scott became a casualty of the freefalling high tech industry. He is still busy sending resumes and going on interviews. Scott has become a great househusband. He has dinner ready when Nancy gets home from work, does the laundry, and takes care of the kittens. Nancy found herself moving to a larger Barnes & Noble bookstore this year. It does double the volume of her old store and has twice the number of employees. There is so much more merchandising to do, and so many more customers to take care of. Little did she know how bored she was at the old store!

We have again had no losses or additions to the kitten population. Tigger, Valentino, Shadow, Laverne & Shirley are all fat, healthy (now), and happy. This summer they spent as much time at the Kitty Doctor's office as they did at home! It started with Shirley dislocating her right, front elbow. She spent a month confined to a room by herself, with her leg in a splint the first week. During this same time Tigger got a cold that ended up as an upper respiratory infection. This led to a round of liquid antibiotics. Tigger is now over 14 pounds, so imagine how much fun that was. Just like kids, Tigger shared his cold with Laverne. She also had to take a round of antibiotics. Shadow somehow ended up with an inner ear infection requiring eardrops. She was the hardest one to deal with and after a few days we gave up. Valentino is the only one to make it through the year with no illnesses! Everybody is doing well now.

We hope 2OO3 brings everything you wish for! Have a great Holiday season.


CHRISTMAS AT HUDSON, MA
Carol Howlett

We had a great Christmas in spite of the snowstorm. Our boys and spouses came in waves; Doug and Lisa came first, then Chris and Angel and girls came down from upstairs. A little later Rob and Willow came and our "daughter" Heather and her sons Robbie and Brian arrived. We were exchanging our gifts and eating snacks when the boys' dad Rob and his sister came to bring their presents and stayed to have some munchies. Later in the afternoon (what to our wandering eyes should appear) but our son Dave, Rose, Gage, and Tamara. That really made our Christmas perfect, as it is very hard to get Dave to make the trip from Southbridge even on a good day. It took them over an hour to get home; we were happy when they called to say they had made it home OK.

We have had more snow since Christmas and that keeps us busy. Doug uses the snowblower and I use the shovel.

The Christmas Cactus did not do quite as well as last year but it is still blooming.

Hope all have a healthy and happy new year, and Happy New Year to the Muse. Great going, Nan & Bob.


LOTS OF GREETINGS
Friends and Relatives

Following our tradition for the Muse, we share here many end-of-year greetings from family and friends near and far, including the shorter ones from Musers.

*Hope all is well with you and yours. We are fine up here in NY. Shirley, formerly on assignment with Nancy at Central Office.

*May the hope and peace of Christ enter your lives this season. Rev. Noreen Suriner (our former priest) and her husband.

*It sure was nice to have seen you. And hope there can be another get together here in California. Wish I had known everyone. Clyde is feeling poorly. I'm doing fairly well. Will be 91 in a few days.Lois Kamunen

*This is a special time of year. Toy Bouley and Family (Also sent new email address.)

*As we end a year filled with uncertainty and apprehension, and because I forgot to buy Christmas cards (on sale after Christmas, I just can't stand paying full price for them), I am sending another in a series of very sporadic missives to keep you up to date on what is going on in my life... Finally, here's wishing you and your family a safe, healthy and peaceful Christmas and New Year. Do keep in touch. Paulette, friend from church

*Love from all of us. Cathy and John Howlett and family

*Sorry we missed the grand reunion, but I couldn't have missed my nephew-godson's wedding for anything. Keep the MUSE coming; we enjoy reading about everyone, even though we know very few of them. Our best to you all. Rose & Carl (AKA Chip) Martz

*Jesus is the reason for the season! Deborah, quilting friend who works at Central Office.

*Will any of your kids be home for Christmas? I'm OK and enjoying my job at Citigroup. 2002 is my 30th year at the company. Wow, it is a long time! Jean Ogawa, from our sister parish in Tokyo, Japan.

*Greetings from Zagreb, Croatia! Having a good time here with good grub. See you soon with Kay. Joel, former neighbor, who went to Croatia as a visiting professor.

*We took a trip this year; visited his aunt and national parks. We also visited the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado. Really spectacular!... Lorna and Russ, friends from Downey (CA) Art League

*We went to FL for the Pancanal Reunion, my first one. I did have a good time, but saw just one person my age that I knew. A lot of the boys' friends were there, and they talked about some things they remembered from Panama. Huddy, former neighbor in MD in the 60s

*Juliet and Rob have blessed us with a second healthy and beautiful grandchild...The bulk of Ray's time is spent taking care of Daryl: administering all the shots, back scratches and foot rubs for Daryl. Daryl had a stem cell transplant this fall. This procedure put her cancer in remission. That means no cancerous matter can be detected. (Must have been those great foot rubs.) Daryl is a lunchtime friend, now retired.

*May the celebration of His birth be filled with joy this Christmas. Wishing you both a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Carol Murdock

*We hope all is well with you both. Kris, Dawn, and Amber Knox

*Go, Man, Go! (Picture of Santa filling up the gas tank on his sleigh.) Thought you might like a little Christmas cheer! Clyde Howlett, who made the card on his computer.

*May your life be blessed with every joy that is long lasting. Art and Lorraine Murdock

*May your Holiday Season be filled with peace and joy. Happy Holidays! Ian, Becky, Natalie, and Timothy Murdock

*Thanks so much for the Muse. It's fun to read, easy to navigate, and helps us to know what the multi-talented Murdocks are up to. Can't wait to see the photos! Wishing you good health and happiness in 2003. Priscilla and Roy Januskiewicz

*I will be spending Christmas in Vermont with daughter Donna and her family. Best wishes to you and yours. Ona Fellows

*Hope this finds you all in good health. Bradford Howlett

*Hope you are warmer down there than we are in Maine! Have fun holidays with your family and friends. Dad is in the Nursing Home and doing just great. Amazing! Joan Calder

*This past year was marked by challenges, blessings, and milestones. Carol now works for our church (Immanuel's) as Admin. Assistant to the Senior Pastor. She is blessed to work in a place where God's presence is around all week... We took a cross country ski weekend in the Poconos with Jim's cousin. John and Jim roughed it with an overnight on the Appalachian Trail in early October.Jim and Carol. Jim used to be in choir with Nancy, and he took us birding several times.

*Heavenly peace to all. Love and Happy Holidays! David and Cindy Leskinen, Tim, Cate, and Brett

*Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Orrel and Charlie Frost

*May the joyous spirit of Christmas remain with you throughout the coming year. Jim, Bob's friend who worked with him at Univac in the 60s/70s.

*Hope Christmas brings wonderful feelings of gladness and cheer. Bill and Margaret, friends from Downey, CA

*An extremely Happy New Year to you and thanks for all your incredible advice and help. Without you and Mr. Cox I would have been lost in the wilderness!!! Have fun and I shall be back to bother you next year!
After visiting the Muse website: What a lovely web site and what a big family! Very nice, I enjoyed reading everyone's little stories. You are very lucky to have a big family. I have an aged Mother, 86 years, and a son who lives in Norway with his wife and twin boys and that's all, so although it's supposed to be a sin to be envious, I have to say I'm envious of your family !! A very happy New Year to you, Nancy, and thank you for all your help in the past and hopefully in the future ! Have fun and I'll hear you again in 2003. Jacky, U.S. Embassy, Grenada

*What a lovely letter! Thank you so much for the beautiful holiday greetings! I wish you and your husband continued blessings and a wonderful 2003. Best wishes. Pat, U.S. Embassy, Trinidad & Tobago

*Thanks for including me in your list. I had a very enjoyable visit with your family this morning. Phyllis, Nancy's lunchmate, after reading the Special Holiday Issue of the Muse

*Thank you for your e-mail. I hope you had a wonderful Xmas and may 2003 bring you lots of joy, luck and above all, good health. Step in to 2003 with your right foot. Take care. Jorge, U.S. Embassy, Portugal

*So nice to hear from you and I just CANNOT believe you're 70!! Just goes to show what happiness will do for you. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We spoke with my sisters-in-law in Bowie, MD yesterday and they told us about the white Christmas. Paris was very mild and unseasonable, but still Paris. I wish you health and happiness in 2003 and hope to see you when we go to Baltimore in April. All the very best. Jane, U.S. Embassy, France

*Thank you for the warm greetings. It has been a pleasure working with you for well over 10 years. Your experience, appreciation and dedication has been an inspiration for us all. I know several beneficiaries that will agree. Continue to stay warm and dry and travel safely. Brian, Federal Reserve Bank of New Yorks

*We had our family for Christmas lunch; a good time was had by all. The weather was not too hot so it was perfect for the traditional hot Christmas dinner of ham, turkey, pork, roast vegetables followed by Christmas pudding, cake, fruit and chocolates. We also had the Christmas crackers with the little trinkets, cap and joke inside. This year all our guests were given reindeer antlers to wear. It is a wonderful and happy time for us.

Our television news broadcasts showed the snow which has been falling in many parts of the US. It would be wonderful to have a White Christmas; however you really only want a little, not the heavy falls you have been having. Hope the New Year brings you good health, happiness, and good cheer. Shirley, U.S. Consulate, Australia

*Christmas is over and I hope you had a truly wonderful, wonder-filled time. Me, too, I wish you a happy, healthy, blessed New Year! The job you are doing is really great. Annette, U.S. Embassy, Germany

*What a beautiful message and thank you so much for thinking of us all, out here in the field!! I can't believe for a minute that you are 70 - congratulations and THANK YOU SO MUCH for all you do for us in Australia - all your efforts on our behalf are very much appreciated. I do hope that 2003 brings you, your family and colleagues, peace, joy and happiness. Mary, U.S. Consulate, Australia)s


NICE CHRISTMAS PARTY
Polly Soberg

We had a nice Christmas party here yesterday with Rennie and kids, Kevin, Lori and kids and Warren and Nancy. Kevin and family stayed in a hotel in Concord last night so they wouldn't have to make the drive back to MA. It was good to have them all together again. We had plenty of food and good conversations. John and Cathy will come for another Christmas get together on Christmas eve day in the afternoon. Then on the day itself it will be back to Carl, Clyde and me. It has been a good holiday season.


A GOOD YEAR
Roy, Tami, and Khendra Murdock

It's been a good year for us. Khendra is in her freshman year of college and really enjoying the experience. She's majoring in psychology, with hopes of being a counselor or teacher. Last month she hit the big 18 year mark.

Tami continues to enjoy being at home and being actively involved in Internet experiences. She is currently co-owner and administrator of a large basketball discussion site.

Roy is making plans to go to night school to get his Master's degree.

Barkie, our cat, sends her furry greeting.

We pray that this letter finds you and yours well, and that the Lord will bless you in the Holiday season and in the new year. We send our love. Roy, Tami, and Khendra Murdock


WHITE CHRISTMAS - NOT MY DREAM
Nancy Murdock

I wrote the following in response to my Australian friend Shirley's wonderful description of their Christmas celebration and her mention of how nice it would be to have a white Christmas.

Thanks for your delightful description of your Christmas dinner "down under." As far as a white Christmas is concerned, I can easily do without it. I got reoriented when we lived in California, where the weather is much more like what was present for the birth of Christ. Having previously lived for 9 years in Minnesota, where I had to chip the ice off my car windows after the midnight service, I wrote off the idea of ever dreaming of snow for Christmas. It's vastly overrated, in my opinion!

I recall the first year we were in CA. I was walking down the street, buying Christmas gifts, with my light, unlined coat open, and no hat or scarf to wrap myself in like a mummy. the sun was shining, and I realized that I was very, very happy. If we wanted to go see some snow, we could go up the mountain, but we never got the urge.

It was kind of fun in June to go in a cable car to see snow at the top of a mountain in Palm Springs when we were on vacation (and it was 103 degrees at the foot of the mountain), but that was sufficient.


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