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Photo courtesy of Belfort Group. Dedham resident Judy Murphy recently celebrated her 101st birthday with friends at Traditions of Dedham.
7-10-2025 12:35am
Getting to Know Your Neighbor: 101 Year-Old Dedham Resident Judy Murphy's Active Life, Lived Locally
Darlene Cancell
Editor
By Maddie Mulligan
A four-sport varsity athlete at Manhattanville College. An early flight attendant for Eastern Airlines. A longtime sixth-grade English teacher at Dedham Middle School. And, as of July 9th, she is 101 years old.
As if living to 101 years old is not a big enough accomplishment, Judy Murphy needs no walker, hearing aids, or eyeglasses when going about her days. Add on her ever-charming personality and a life filled with stories, and Murphy is a true inspiration.
Judy Murphy has lived in Dedham for the vast majority of her life, living on Pearl Street throughout her childhood and now resides at Traditions of Dedham, a senior living community.
Photo courtesy of Belfort Group. Centenarian Judy Murphy grew up right by the Norfolk County courthouse in Dedham, MA, where journalists routinely asked to borrow her family's landline phone to report breaking news from the court. Growing up right next to Norfolk Superior Court, Murphy’s time in her childhood home was full of commotion. At a time when technology was not as efficient as it is now, Murphy’s house was often inundated with journalists needing to use the landline telephone to report any breaking news from the court.
“I used to stand [at] my living room window and watch [the courthouse]. And then all the reporters would run in and grab a cup of coffee,” said Murphy, remembering her childhood on Pearl Street with an excited smile.
While Dedham has been her home since the very beginning, Murphy’s ultimate happy place was Rockport, Massachusetts. Driving up the coast to spend the summers by the beach, Murphy looks back fondly on the fun she had in a place defined, to her, by its nice people.
Friends would stop by whenever they were around, described Murphy, embodying the classic New England summer on the coast. Defined by their informality and relaxation, the summers found Murphy enjoying the beach more than anything.
“When I’d get home, I’d just walk across the little path and jump in the ocean,” said Murphy.
Murphy’s relaxation on the beach only came after she was done playing her chosen sport of the day—mostly tennis. Having played tennis, field hockey, lacrosse, and basketball all at the varsity level in college, Murphy’s athleticism has even translated to today when she still makes it out onto the courts or track.
Photo courtesy of Belfort Group. Representative Paul McMurtry visits with his former school teacher, Judy Murphy, as she celebrated her 101st birthday.Murphy was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame of Manhattanville College in 2016, 71 years after she graduated. Murphy was picked from gym class to join the field hockey team before then joining the other three varsity teams, having entered college with no intentions of pursuing athletics.
Also having picked up golf and still taking some swings on occasion, Murphy has never seen sports as a task. She’s always just done them for fun—a very modest reason for something as inspiring as playing four top-level sports, which most current college athletes don’t do.
Murphy’s nonchalant attitude toward her athletic accomplishments is something that translates to her impressive repertoire of careers. As an early flight attendant for Eastern Air Lines, Murphy has traveled to almost every city on the East Coast, her favorite being Atlanta, Georgia.
But when asked about her work, Murphy had a very simple answer, which she followed with a hearty laugh: “I don’t think we did a lot.”
Murphy’s travels outside of work were much more riveting, given that the most eventful thing to happen on the job was being handed a dog without warning and having to take care of it for the duration of the flight. Whether it be visiting Japan or driving cross-country in a camper, Murphy’s life prior to returning to Dedham was filled with adventure.
Photo by Maddie Mulligan. Judy Murphy was inducted into the Manhatanville College Hall of fame in 2016, decades after she attended, for having been a four-sport varsity athlete.It was back in Dedham where Murphy began to settle down, though she remained an inspiration for the kids she began to impact daily. Murphy began a career as an English teacher at Dedham Middle School, where she taught generations of kids—including State Representative Paul McMurtry.
Murphy’s playful attitude came out once again reflecting back on her teaching, descending into laughter after exposing how loose her curriculum was.
“Whatever book was there, I grabbed,” said Murphy.
Murphy’s lively attitude extends beyond just remarking on her former career. The sound of her laughing with Traditions staff echoes around the corner as she walks from and back to her room. Even after such a long and full life, it’s clear that Murphy isn’t slowing down, her energy simply infectious.
Attending every activity that Traditions has to offer, from cornhole to crafts, Murphy’s resilience into her 101st year of life is something of a marvel. And moreso, Murphy hasn’t found that 101 is any different than before. For anyone looking to live until 101, it might be a relief to hear that it does not take extraordinary measures.
“I don’t think I did anything special,” said Murphy.
Murphy kept her tips for growing older gracefully simple, agreeing with the advice of staying active and being yourself. Instead, Murphy’s life speaks for itself, the mix of experiences, accomplishments, and joy that filled her past being nothing short of inspiring.
Thanks to Maddie Mulligan, student at Boston College, and head editor for the arts section of The Heights, an independent, student-run newspaper, for contributing this article to Westwood Minute. Ms. Mulligan is interning with Westwood Minute for the summer.
