When they ran into difficulties, Kathleen was always there for them, offering support, encouragement — and good sense. It was always unconditional. When Danny’s first marriage ended, Kathleen and Bill were the first to come to his side. Although the Roman Catholic church did not condone divorce, Kathleen’s advice to Danny was to “keep your

head up.”

Kathleen continued to take great pride in the progress of her family. That attitude and sense of pride broadened as the family welcomed new members through marriage. When the oldest son, Shawn, got married to Yvette Comeau in Caraquet, New Brunswick in August of 1977, the whole Murphy family attended. Kathleen’s two sisters were there, along with Bill’s sisters Pauline and Elizabeth and numerous cousins. None of the boys owned suits, and Shawn came to the rescue, loaning most of them his own. They all stayed for the weekend at a local hotel in Caraquet, and partied most of the time. Danny sang Amazing Grace throughout one evening. All tried to practice their French, and a spirit of joie de vivre prevailed throughout the weekend. It was a spirited introduction for Yvette into the Murphy family.

It was the first of a number of similar ceremonies in a growing extended family, as the sons and Mary Jane in turn were married. Baptisms and confirmations followed in due course, and were celebrated by the entire family.

Above all, Kathleen imbued in each of her children a deep sense of ethical responsibility. With a number of the family involved in the service industry, working bars and waiting on tables, the Murphys soon acquired a reputation as honest and valuable employees. Bar operators always

liked the way the Murphys conducted business; the “beer count” always came out even at the end of the night. Michael would later recall that,

as managing director of an insurance—based company in the Cayman Islands, the high performing work ethic he acquired growing up in Prince Edward Island was recognized — and rewarded.

176 KATHLEEN MURPHY, MAITRIARC