June E. Murdock

SIOUX CITY -- Our mother, June E. Murdock, 85, of Sioux City went home to be with her loved ones July 28, 2009, following a lengthy illness.

Services will be 1 p.m. Friday, July 31, 2009 at Nelson-Berger Northside Chapel, with the Rev. Merrill Muller officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be 5 to 8 p.m. today, with the family present 6 to 8 p.m., at the funeral home.

Mom was born Jan. 10, 1924, in Martinsburg, Neb., to William and Edna (McCartney) Heaton. She was one of 16 children. She attended schools in rural Nebraska, where she grew up on a farm.

Mom married our father, Roy Murdock on Aug. 3, 1943. Together, they raised 11 children. They lived in Sioux City all their life. She survived the floods on the South Bottoms, then moved to different neighborhoods while raising us. She worked at Armour's Packing in the Stockyards from 1944 to its closing in 1964. She then worked for the Methodist Hospital in dietary, working through the merging of Methodist and Lutheran to what is now St. Luke's Regional Medical Center. She retired in 1986, but missed working and went back to the hospital in 1989, until she retired in 1996 due to health issues.

Mom enjoyed bingo, casinos, reading novels and watching the soaps. Most of all, she enjoyed and loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Mom is survived by three daughters, Rhoda (Carlos) delaCruz, Darla (Homero) Fuentes and Shelly (Scott) Grover; three brothers, Albert (Nora) Heaton, Martin (Lucille) Babcock and Dwayne (Bobbi) Babcock; grandchildren, Liz, Debra, Kim and Buddy Courtney, William, Kevin, Tina, Terry and Rachelle Barbee, Jennifer and Marisa Fuentes, Lina, Sara and Jessie delaCruz, Anita and Scotty Grover and Travis Carlton and Donald Jr.; great-grandchildren, Stacy, Teri Sue, Robbie, Randy, Artie, Stephanie, Bud III and Mindy Courtney, Shana, Amber, Cyle, Alex, Soraya, Antonio, Hannah and Bennett Barbee, Kristin and Gabriel delaCruz, David, Anthony and Dora Fuentes, Christian, Julian, Connor, Ian, Drake and Axel Grover and Coby Murdock; 13 great-great-grandchildren; a great-great-great-grandson; and special friend, Alice Tubb.

Mom was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 33 years, Roy; four daughters, Shirley Courtney, Marvel Murdock, Louise Barbee and Becky Murdock; four sons, Bob, Donald, Ricky and an infant son; six sisters, Ellen, Alice, Myrtle Ann, Irene, Lennie and Bessie; and three brothers, George, Earl and Mark.

Mom was the matriarch of our family. She taught us how to live right, do right and that family is everything. She will be forever missed and always remembered with love and devotion.

We, as her children, would like to give special thanks to Dr. John Roberts for all the years of care he gave to mom and also the staff and doctors of 5A at St. Luke's and the Hospice staff.