Martha Riddell Murphy

Martha Riddell Murphy was born on June 3, 1932, in Manhattan, KS to Dr. William Hugh Riddell and Wilhelmina (Mina) Bates Riddell. She had one brother, William. Her parents met as faculty members at Kansas State University at a faculty dance. Her father was a professor of Dairy Husbandry, and her mother was a dietitian teaching Home Economics. The Riddell family moved to Tucson, AZ in the late 1930s when her father joined the faculty at the University of Arizona. Martha has fond memories of growing up in Tucson where she was involved in Girl Scouts. She enjoyed swimming recreationally with her brother and father. The Riddell Family lived in Tucson until 1945, when Dr. Riddell was called to Washington, D.C. to serve in the WW II reconstruction effort.

Martha’s father, Dr. Riddell, served as a U.S. Attache to the Netherlands from 1945-1948 working at the U.S. Embassy in The Hague. Martha and her mother and brother moved to Elkin, VA in 1945 before joining her father in the Netherlands in 1946. Martha was enrolled in boarding schools in Paris, France and Switzerland from 1946-1948, where she became fluent in French. In 1948, the Riddell Family moved to Burlington, VT where her father joined the faculty at the University of Vermont as the Chair of the Department of Dairy Husbandry. Martha graduated from Burlington High School in 1950.

Martha attended the University of Vermont, majoring in French and minoring in Spanish. In college, Martha joined the national sorority Kappa Alpha Theta and remained a loyal member for the rest of her life. Following graduation from the University of Vermont, Martha moved to Washington, D.C. where she worked for a VT Congressman on Capitol Hill.

While in Washington, D.C. Martha was introduced to her first husband, John Wetzel. Martha and John married and divorced after several years. Following her divorce, Martha moved to San Francisco, CA at the encouragement of her sorority sisters. In San Francisco, Martha worked for the Spanish Tourist Office and met her second husband, Frederick Holden Murphy. Mr. Murphy was the President of Holden-Day, Inc., a college textbook publishing company.

Martha and Fred were married in San Francisco in 1963. While Martha was raised in the Presbyterian Church, she converted to Catholicism when she married Fred. In 1966 they welcomed their first child, Frederick Holden Murphy Jr. (Fritz) and in 1968 they welcomed their second child, Martha Celeste Murphy (Celeste). In 1969, the Murphy Family moved to the charming town of Piedmont, CA located in the San Francisco East Bay, where they raised their family.

Martha was a loving and doting mother, active in her children’s schools, chaperoning field trips, volunteering at swim meets and baseball games, and organizing school events from grade school through high school. While raising her children, Martha also worked part-time as a travel agent and at her husband Fred’s book publishing company, Holden-Day. Martha loved tennis and enjoyed her weekly tennis foursome with the Piedmont Lady’s Tennis Group. The Murphys entertained friends at their Piedmont home regularly and Martha was always a gracious host. Martha was an excellent cook known for her delicious casseroles.

In 1991, Martha and Fred moved to Northern VA and in 1994 they relocated to Boca Raton, FL. Together they enjoyed their retirement years in FL. Martha and Fred were loyal members of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church. Martha was also an active member of the Kappa Alpha Theta Alumnae Club of Palm Beach, and the Women’s Democratic Club of Palm Beach County. She was also an avid walker and swimmer at the Boca Raton Community YMCA, swimming a mile several days a week. After the passing of her husband Fred in 2012, Martha moved to Virginia Beach, VA to live close to her daughter Celeste and her family.

During her 14 years living in Virginia Beach, Martha cherished her time with her daughter Celeste’s family including her son-in-law, Kevin, and her two grandsons, William and Nolan. She loved attending all her grandsons’ school and sporting events. She also enjoyed visits to be with her son, Fritz, his wife, Megan, and their two boys, Sebastian and Miles, in the Boston Area. Martha stayed active in Virginia Beach, joining several organizations including St. Mark’s Catholic Church, where she participated in the Wisdom Seeker’s group, the Greenbrier YMCA’s Active Older Adult exercise classes, and she remained an avid walker. She also was active with the Kappa Alpha Theta Southeastern, VA Alumnae Chapter and the Democratic Women’s Club of Coastal Virginia.

Martha was active in the Kappa Alpha Theta Alumnae Chapters wherever she lived including San Francisco, Oakland-East Bay, Northern VA, Palm Beach County, and Southeastern VA. Martha’s daughter, Celeste, pledged Theta at UCLA and together they enjoyed attending several Theta national conventions, and many other Theta events. Martha always said her best two decisions were converting to Catholicism and pledging Theta. Martha served as the President of the Oakland-East Bay Theta Alumnae Chapter and was awarded the Tidewater Area Panhellenic Woman of the Year Award. In 2026, Martha received her 75-year Theta pin. Theta was a significant part of Martha’s life, and she continued to remain close to her Theta sisters, some from her original chapter, she had known for over 75 years.

Martha lived a long full life filled with family and friends. She was fortunate to have traveled the world. Despite being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and congestive heart failure in her 80s, Martha always had a positive attitude, a true zest for life, and continued to stay active up until the end of her days at 93 and a half years young. Martha died peacefully of congestive heart failure, surrounded by family and friends on Ash Wednesday, February 18th, 2026. Martha is survived by her daughter Celeste, son-in-law, Kevin, son Fritz and daughter-in-law Megan and her four grandsons, William, Nolan, Sebastian, and Miles. Martha will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her. Martha’s family is deeply grateful to all her caregivers who provided kind and loving care to Martha in her later years.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Martha’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org or the American Heart Association at www.heart.org.

A funeral mass and celebration of life will be held on June 27, 2026, at 11: 00 am at St. Mark’s Catholic Church located at 1505 Kempsville Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23464. A reception will follow at the church's Great Hall. Please RSVP by June 6th by e-mailing Celeste Greene at [email protected].

Martha will be interred at the Massachusetts National Cemetery later this summer in a private ceremony.