Lois Christine Murphy was born March 14, 1944 in La Plata, Maryland. For the first part of her life, she lived at Mt. Victoria, Maryland with her parents John and Nettie Farrell Murphy, and her eight brothers and sisters. In 1963, she married Donald Lee Cooksey. They lived in Leonardtown until 1965 when they moved to their first home in Waldorf. In 1973, the couple moved to Lexington Park with their two children. In 2012, they moved to a retirement community in Solomon’s Maryland.
Lois was predeceased by her mother and father, her beloved husband Donald and her sisters, Jean Marie Harrison, wife of Arthur Harrison and Preston Maddox; Helen Cooksey, wife of Wilson Cooksey; Madoline Anderson, wife of Charles Anderson, and Catherine Anna Lindsey. Lois is survived by her son Donald Lee Cooksey, Jr.; her daughter-in-law, Caroline Kuan Cooksey and her grandchildren Sam and Sophie Cooksey; and her daughter Christine Cooksey Lumpkins; her son-in-law James Lumpkins and her grandchildren Steven and Maddie Lumpkins. She is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Irene and Carl Logan; her sister and brother-in-law Marge and Bob Marshall; her brother and sister-in-law John and Betty Murphy, and her brother and sister-in-law Edward and Diane Murphy. She is also survived by numerous cousins, nephews, nieces, great nephews and great nieces, many of whom live in southern Maryland.
Lois devoted her early years of her children’s life to their care. She spent her career years with the Naval Air Station (NAS), Naval Air Test Center (NATC), Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), all located at Patuxent River, Maryland. She held various administrative positions until 1984 when she became a contract specialist. She rapidly moved up in the ranks in the contracting field, achieving the rank of Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) for NAVAIR. She was the PCO for most of the activities aboard Patuxent River in the various stages of her career until she ended her career with the Navy in 2003. During her employment at Patuxent River, she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland and her Master’s Degree in Contract and Acquisition Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. After obtaining her Master’s Degree in 1992, she became an adjunct professor and instructed courses in contract and acquisition management for Florida Tech.
Over the years, Lois often volunteered her time to help others. In the early 1970s, she led the first La Leche League group in St. Mary’s County. This group helped nursing mothers learn how to best feed and care for their infants. Later, she and her husband taught Confraternity of Christian Doctrine Courses for children, and served as members and officers of the St. Vincent DePaul Society at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Lexington Park. In 2003 and 2004, she participated as a member of the St. Mary’s County Procurement Review Committee and greatly contributed to the rewriting of county’s procurement policies and procedures.
Lois and her husband always enjoyed travel; they traveled to places such as England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Canada, Hungary, Austria, France, Holland, Mexico, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Spain, Costa Rica, Panama, Aruba, Curacao, Bahamas, Germany, Greece, Chili, Falkland Islands and Argentina. In their retirement years, they continued to travel as well as took up new hobbies. Lois found new freedom and joy in the time available to be with family and friends, often entertaining them in her home. She also indulged her love of gardening, crabbing, kayaking, and photography, and she developed extensive genealogies of both the Murphy and Cooksey families. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and considered herself extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to get to know these exceptional children.
A Memorial Service will take place at First Saint’s Community Church St. George Island Campus 16540 Piney Point Road, Piney Point Maryland on Saturday July 13th at 11:00 AM.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. National Headquarters, ATTN: Financial Operations, 733 Third Avenue, Ste. 510, New York, NY 10017
