Virginia (Murphy) Dower's Obituary
Virginia Murphy Dower, 80, passed away on Monday, October 13, 2014, at her home in Syracuse, N.Y. Born in Syracuse, Virginia was the eldest of three children and resided in the city all her life. Called “Ginny” by family and friends, Virginia graduated from Le Moyne College with a degree in political science. While politics remained a lifelong passion, Virginia was most active in the political arena in the 1960s and 70s when, among other things, she served as a member and co-chairperson of the Liberal Party. During her tenure with the Liberal Party, Virginia ran alongside mayoral candidate, Karen DeCrow, as a candidate for Common Council President. Virginia was also a lifelong social activist and environmentalist. She was active with the Syracuse Peace Council and during the 1970s, with her two children often at her side, she rallied against the use of nuclear weapons and was an active participant in the anti-nuclear movement in the Northeast. She was also affiliated with the Medical Committee for Human Rights, the Biafran Relief effort, and the Welfare Dilemma series. Virginia was always sensitive to the needs of low-income families. During her bid for Common Council President, she pushed for affordable, “scattered-site housing” as an alternative to often stigmatizing low-income housing “projects”. She was also an advocate for educational innovation in the city, such as the early 1970’s example of the Martin Luther King School where her son took the bus to attend.
While Virginia was most recently employed as a caseworker in the HEAP Unit of the Onondaga County Department of Social Services, her family and friends will most likely remember her as a modern Renaissance woman because of her persistent intellectual curiosity and her depth and breadth of knowledge. Virginia had a lifelong fascination with geology, gems and minerals, perennial gardening, North American birds, Ireland and the Celts, and Native American history. Her children will also always remember her as an appreciator of music with an outstanding, albeit untrained, voice, a lover of learning and as an avid reader. As a faithful daily devourer of the New York Times, it could be said that Virginia knew more about the world and global affairs than many blessed to actually travel it.
Virginia was predeceased by her brother, John F. Murphy, in 2012.
She is survived by her daughter, Jennifer (Bruce) Bernstein, of Merion Station, PA., her son, William B. Murphy, of Pleasant Hill, CA, her brother, Michael (Barbara) Murphy, of Hendersonville, N.C., three grandchildren, numerous cousins, and several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service in her honor is being planned for the spring. In the meantime, donations in her memory can be made to the Arthritis National Research Foundation (http://www.curearthritis.org/donate).
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