Darlene Elizabeth Murphy
November 28, 1955 - January 22, 2017

It is with sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Darlene Elizabeth Murphy of Calgary, Alberta. Darlene will be lovingly remembered by her life partner Elizabeth (Liz) Graves, her brothers Paul (Pat) and their children Christine, Robin, Bill (Danielle) and grandchildren Faith, Liam, Sarah and Ryan; Lorne (Yvonne) and their children Alex and Amy; and Rod (Allison) and their children Scott and Nick; as well as her father in law Frank Graves and her in-laws Jim and his children Matthew and Karly, Bob (Alayne) and their son Hayden, Cathie (Duane) Evans and their children Aaron and Kyle, Diane (Ray) Hawrelak and their children Eric and Adam. Darlene will also be greatly missed by her dear friends Bernice, Pauline, Lorna, and Sherry as well many others who knew her through In-Definite Arts , Alberta Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) and the Alberta Sports and Recreation Association For the Blind (ASRAB) .

Darlene was predeceased by her parents Martha and Lorne Taylor.

Darlene was born in Pembroke, Ontario. Since her father was in the army, Darlene lived with her family in a number of places while growing up including Manitoba, Quebec, Germany, and Newfoundland.

Darlene loved to spend time visiting with friends and family. She demonstrated remarkable compassion for others and infinite patience throughout her life. She loved travel and she and Liz had enjoyed many cruises with family and friends in recent years.

Darlene lived her passion for creativity and helping others through In-Definite Arts, where she worked for over 30 years. She brought to life her vision for a creative arts facility for those with developmental disabilities, allowing many individuals to experience a fuller, richer life by participating in a program that fostered self-expression, communication and independence. Darlene excelled at her role which included supporting artists with disabilities and advocating for inclusion.

Outside of work she was a tireless volunteer for ASRAB and ATRA. Through ASRAB, Darlene was involved in Goalball locally, nationally and internationally for many years and she was delighted to officiate at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Athens, Beijing and London. Darlene was involved in ATRA from its infancy to help build a solid foundation and continued to work for the association on many levels over her 30 year career in Therapeutic Recreation. She was a founding member of the Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association (CTRA).

Darlene's creativity was expressed in various ways throughout her life and most recently she loved to scrapbook and create works of art for friends and family.

A Celebration of Darlene's life will be held at Winston Heights Community Centre (520 27 Avenue NE, Calgary) on Friday, January 27, 2017. Gathering of family and friends at 1:30 pm and celebration at 2:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the In-Definite Arts Donation page.

To view and share photos, condolences and stories of Darlene please visit www.choicememorial.com. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Choice Memorial Cremation & Funeral Services (403) 277-7343.