“Throughout her long and prolific career, Regina endeared herself as a mentor to countless people in the Oklahoma City arts community and beyond,” Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Amber Sharples said in a statement to The Oklahoman. “She was always approachable and humble in spirit, yet regarded with the utmost respect. In helping to establish one of the state’s premier arts districts, Regina’s legacy reflects the essence of what an artist can mean to the vitality of a community. As we have Regina’s painting ‘Special Places’ in the Oklahoma State Art Collection, her work will continue to inspire generations of Oklahomans.”
Born June 12, 1921, in Tylertown, Mississippi, Murphy grew up in Mississippi and Oklahoma and graduated from high school in Washington, D.C., where she met and married Franklin Thomas “Tom” Murphy Jr. in 1939. After his U.S. Navy service, they relocated to California, eventually returning to Oklahoma with their three daughters. Tom Murphy died in 1950.
She remarried in 1955, coincidentally to another Murphy: Decorated World War II veteran John H. Murphy Jr. He died in 1985.
“She taught us all to look for the beauty around us,” said Erin Page, Murphy’s great-niece. “She was a single mom for a while with her three girls, and they talk so much about her resilience and just her ability to be positive even in difficult circumstances.”
After attending Blackwood Business College, Murphy started work at Cities Service Gas Co., ultimately becoming responsible for the company payroll and retiring after 39 years. She took up painting as a hobby and became a professional artist in her 40s.
