Sarah Joyce Adams Murphy was born on February 23, 1936, in China Grove, NC and she passed into the heavenly presence of the Lord Jesus Christ on the morning of March 7, 2026, in Morehead City, NC at her residence at the Crystal Bluffs Rehab and Health Care Center.

Her parents were George Lee and Ola Mae Adams. Ola Mae gave her the nick name, “Sakie”. Sarah missed being called “Sakie” after her mother passed so she asked her grandchildren to call her “Sakie.” She also answered to “Grandma”, “Mom-Mom” and other names the little ones chose. She was born in the family home on Owens Road in China Grove and lived and grew up there until she went to East Carolina College (now East Carolina University). Sarah graduated from the China Grove Highschool as the Salutatorian, Miss China Grove Highschool, and with an award for Citizenship among other honors.

Sarah left ECC to marry, Gerald Edmund Murphy as he entered the United States Air Force as a Second Lieutenant. They were married August 19, 1956, by the Rev. H.G. Matheney at the South China Grove Baptist Church and they honeymooned at Lake Lure, NC.

As Gerald (Jerry) completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX, and as he simultaneously led church choirs in each location (with a music degree also from ECC) throughout his military career and after, the Lord set the course of their life together. As they moved, the family grew with sons being born along the way as husband Jerry was stationed in Yuma, AZ, Kinston, NC, Winston Salem, NC, Pagwa Ontario, Canada, Ft. Lee, VA, Mobile, AL, Whiteman AFB, MO, The Pentagon in Washington D.C, Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, and Langley, VA for his retirement.

Sarah could not go with Jerry to Canada other than to visit, so she returned to ECC with two babies and graduated with a major in Business and a minor in Art. Annie Belk, her grandmother, lived with her during this season and assisted in caring for Jerry and Jeff while Sarah took classes and studied.

Sarah’s five sons each were born in a different state and graduated from a different high school in different cities, states or countries due to the family’s military travel. Each son is a believer in Christ Jesus; an Eagle Scout and they have been blessed in rewarding careers and/or various ministries in the church. Sarah was a large influence in her sons’ lives moving toward these experiences, accomplishments and their salvation and spiritual growth.

Sarah was also the taxi driver for her sons (before uber) to music lessons and concerts, athletic games and practices, camping trips, schools, and church events. She sewed an unknown number of patches on Cub Scout and Boy Scout uniforms

Sarah was primarily a mom and homemaker but during her life she also worked as a substitute high school teacher (sometimes daily for several months at a time), she taught business and typing to Airmen at Ft. Lee, and during earlier years she was a telephone operator and worked at the local soda fountain. (As late as her 70s she still loved to grab a burger and shake at a historical local drug store in Hazelwood, NC near her home in Waynesville as long as it existed.)

Sarah was artistic and expressed this in writing poetry and song lyrics, playing piano, singing in the house and with the family and choirs. Sometimes she was very humorous and spontaneous in her songs and poems.

She also loved to paint with watercolors, acrylics and oil paint. She continued her love and study of art all her life. She always had books opened to enjoy and share paintings, sketches, sculptures, etc. She was known by her kids and grandkids for making some of the art more “modest” with a black sharpie. She took art lessons in Stuttgart each week from an artist known to us only as Herr Kast. She enjoyed this immensely and learned an oil medium used by some of the old masters in oil painting in Europe.

Sarah could barter with the best in the world at yard sales and flea markets, but she took her skills into chain and box stores as well, such as Hardees drive thru and Lowe’s. She was known for “antiquing” old furniture. She had an eye, love, and skill for finding what seemed to be old and useless pieces, and after stripping and finishing them turned them into beautiful furniture that filled her house, and some of which has been passed to her kids and grandkids.

Sarah loved plants and gardening. She could turn a leaf into a jungle with the greenest of thumbs. She always cultivated flower gardens around the house and in some locations where the family lived, she grew vegetable gardens that especially included tomatoes, squash, peppers, raspberries, lettuce, green beans and more. Her grandkids enjoyed foraging and picking from the garden, and garden-fresh and home canned vegetables were frequently on her table. On one occasion, she included in a flower arrangement a small watermelon that she grew in her garden. The arrangement won first place at a garden event at the officer’s wives club.

Sarah was loved by her sons for her cooking and baking. She taught each of her daughters in law to make her sons favorites which were enchiladas and chocolate pound cake. The sons now join in the prep for the enchiladas as well. She was also loved for other cakes, multitudes of cookies, peanut butter oatmeal drop cookies (goop) and pies. Sometimes she cooked as many as 12-15 pies at Thanksgiving, and gingerbread man shaped Christmas cookies hung on the tree each year not to be eaten before Christmas Eve. Her sons circled the kitchen like “vultures” while any of these wonders were baking. Jerry and Jeff would tease her into making fried apple pies by saying “Mah fry me a pah.” The other sons would chime in as well. Sarah did not often use written recipes. She added “a bit of this and that.” The food was always good but sometimes she would over calculate, and the pound cake would overflow. When she flipped the cake over onto a plate, the boys would get to eat the excess part of the cake before it was served. Usually that part was crunchy. It was the same with cookie dough or biscuits.

Sarah loved her family and gave herself daily for them all. She loved each son and each of their wives all of whom encouraged and cared for her in various ways in later years. Sarah’s grandchildren and great grandchildren were special to her. She delighted in their visits and in videos of the little ones. She also loved to visit their homes for family gatherings.

Sarah trusted Christ as a child as her cousin, Anne Mosier, laid her hand on Sarah’s while in church and at the invitation time said, “Don’t you want to go?” Sarah responded and walked forward and prayed to receive Christ Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Anne had been saved a short time before. Sarah was baptized in a river along with her brother Larry. She shared that a cotton mouth swam past while they were in the water. While living in Nebraska, Sarah read a book about the Holy Spirit by the missionary to China, Bertha Smith. At that time, she began to truly grow in her spiritual walk with Christ.

Worshiping and serving in the body of Christ was the centerpiece of life for Sarah and her family, also led by Jerry. As Abraham in the Bible left a witness of his faith in God by the trail of altars as he nomadically moved from place to place with his family, Sarah and her family were immersed in the Christian faith, worship, service and life in each place they lived. She prayed for her family faithfully throughout her life and one would usually see an open Bible on the kitchen table left out from her time with the Lord earlier in the morning. Sarah loved to share the gospel and lead people to faith in Christ Jesus. She was empathetic in her care for people who were hurting and had fortitude in her doctrine, faith and life experiences.

Sarah came along side of Jerry continuing in ministry as he was ordained to the Gospel Ministry after his military retirement and served as a Pastor in the areas of Music, Admin, and Senior Adult and youth ministries.

She supported Jerry as she sang in the choirs he led. She herself led children’s choirs, participated in weekly bus ministry evangelism and mission trips, welcomed guests into her home for ministry and encouragement, attended the Southern Baptist Convention and Pastors’ Conference annually as well as associational and state denominational events, concerts, and conferences. She loved attending the Ridge Crest Conference center in Black Mountain, NC with her family for music week during the summers. Sarah, in two churches, taught Sunday School to children with special needs. In one church the class was called the Super Kids. She took time with each child, and some understood the Gospel message and received salvation in Christ Jesus.

In Sarah’s years in care homes in the last decade plus of her life, she continued to sing in worship, quote scripture verses and pray for her family and give testimony of salvation in Christ to others in the facilities. The last words one son heard her sing not many days before her transition to heaven were the final words of “The King is Coming” by the Gaither’s. She sang, “Praise God! He’s coming for me.”

Sarah was predeceased by her husband, Rev. (Lt. Col.) Gerald E. Murphy; parents, George Lee and Ola Mae Adams; brothers, Nathan Adams and Larry Adams; and brother-in-law, Steve Frank.

Sarah is survived by her sons (and spouses), Gerald “Jerry” Edmund Murphy, Jr. (Kim), Jeffrey Ethan Murphy (Missy), Gregory Jerome Murphy (Lynn), Jamie Patrick Muphy (Donna) and Benjamin Lee Murphy (Carrie); grandchildren (and spouses), Charlotte Murphy, Rebecca McCoy (Robert), Nathan Murphy (Anna), Garett Murphy (Sara), Lauren Frerichs (Stephen), Darren Murphy, Katie Murphy, Isabella Murphy, and Ethan Murphy; great-grandchildren, Joshua McCoy, Caroline McCoy, Elliana McCoy, Adam Murphy, Lydia Frerichs, Julia Murphy, and Caleb Frerichs; sisters (and spouse), Judy King (Gene) and Susan Frank; along with numerous nephews and nieces.

A funeral service will be at 1:00 p.m. at the West Lawn Memorial Park on South Main Street (or Highway 29-A between Landis and China Grove) in China Grove, NC. Officiating will be Pastor Greg Murphy, Member Care Pastor at Idlewild Baptist Church, Lutz (Tampa), FL. Flowers can be delivered to the South China Grove Baptist Church Family Life Center from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Friday, March 13 or left at the back door Saturday morning, March 14.

Family and friends are welcome to submit online condolences at www.mundenfuneralhome.net.

Arrangements by Munden Funeral Home & Crematory in Morehead City, NC.