Margaret "Maggie" Murphy Backus 

Cremation Center of Kansas City

Margaret Murphy Backus, 49, Lawrence, Kansas, died on Monday, April 7, 2014. Maggie was born on July 11, 1964, to William R. and Jill C. Murphy in St. Louis, Missouri. Maggie died after a long and well-lived life. She loved being a wife, mother and friend. She graduated from high school and then ran away from home to explore the world. She ended up in Milwaukee, Wis. , for two years where she made many friends, drank too much beer and studied for a bit at Marquette University. She returned to St Louis for two years, working and attending school while living with her parents. She moved to Lawrence in 1987 to attend KU and live with friends. Those were good years, and after finishing school (she’d had enough, really) she met Richie, in December 1989. They fell in love almost instantly - it really does happen!! They were married nine months later. They picked September 22, 1990, because the autumnal equinox is so beautiful, and 1990 was an easy year to remember. Maggie and Richie enjoyed many years together. Their first date was to go sledding, and after that they were almost inseparable. They loved to roam the countryside, driving for hours looking at the beauty of the world around them. In 1994 and 1996, they welcomed Madeline and Charlie into their lives. The family moved to Boulder, Colo. , in 1996 and loved the outdoors, searching for adventure in the mountains. In 1999, they moved back to Lawrence where Maggie worked for many years at Framewoods and the Lawrence Arts Center. Richie worked as a mechanic, parts guy, brewer and eventually as a magazine editor. One cannot write about Maggie’s life without including Richie, Maddie and Charlie - for whom she would fight battles, climb mountains, and make banana bread. Maggie was a really happy and optimistic person, and she would ask that you shed a few tears for her, but then get on with the business of living and find something decent with which to occupy yourselves. You may want to pass around the Irish whiskey once or twice. There isn’t much more to say. People are born, live and die, and that is the nature of life. Maggie will do her best to put in a good word for all of you with the big guy. Maggie is survived by Richie and their two children, Madeline and Charlie. She is also survived by her mother, Jill Murphy, and the Good Guys, her six siblings: Christine (Christopher) Kaemmerer, Kaki Murphy, TJ (Kathy) Murphy, John (Linda) Murphy, Mary Murphy, and Jim (Anne) Murphy. She is also survived by Frances (Paul) Clymer, Rob Backus, Ozzie (Retta) Backus and Tony Backus, as well as many nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles. There will be a memorial service at St. John the Evangelist Church, 1234 Kentucky St. at 11 a. m. Saturday, April 12. There will be a hellacious dusk-to-dawn celebration of her life, to be announced at a later date.

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Margaret "Maggie" Murphy Backus Obituary | Cremation Center of Kansas City