She was always passionate, boisterous, fearless, and filled with life and that is how i will always remember her.

Willie and Suzanne,

Very nice tribute. You are correct Cornelia always fought to the bitter end, and there is no better day to pay tribute to her.

Cornelia "Corn" will be missed.

Suzanne and Willie,

Thank you for this. Cornelia has been much in my thoughts.

Cornelia Murphy will be sorely missed, and lovingly remembered. We wish her, and her family, all the best. Just looking at Cornelia's picture gives me the thought that a better world is possible, and that we can get there together.

It's unfortunate that so many of those whose lives she impacted will be having to choose between her memorial service and the State Convention in Eugene. Legislators and Party leaders are supposed to be in trainings all day on June 2nd. I hope that the DPO and/or the organizers of the memorial service will be able to arrange our schedules such that we can attend both events. If they can't, I understand - sometimes, we have to make choices like this. In the end, whether we attend the memorial or our trainings, we will both honor our memories of Cornelia and continue her work.

Thanks again to a wonderful leader.

Willie & Suzanne:

Thank you for posting such a beautiful and inspiring tribute to Cornelia. I recently heard the news of her condition and her passing. I will forever feel a pang of guilt for us not staying in touch since moving to Washington, DC. She taught me so much about organizing and organizing from the heart. She was as fierce as a lion, always working to help improve the lives of AFSCME members and Democrats. She cared deeply for her friends and was loyal and true, a wonderful human being. She shared with me what her campaign slogan would be if she ever decided to run for office and it still makes me smile; "Tall Corn Murphy...she's all ears." I will miss her greatly. I will try very, very hard to get to Portland for her memorial service. All of us who have had the pleasure of working with her and God forbid - against her should feel fortunate to have known her. Today I celebrate her work, her life, her friendship, her memory.

Jason Leon

As a shop steward for AFSCME Local 88, I met Cornelia Murphy at the one and only AFL-CIO convention I was able to attend, several years ago. She got me, a political neophyte, interested in expanding a bit beyond office politics, to the connection between labor issues and local and state government. I didn't know her very well, but even in the brief contact we had, she was encouraging me to get more involved. Sounds like it was her passion.

I regret that I did not get to know her better, and my condolences to those who did.

I've been thinking about Cornelia all day, how truly sad! Thanks for the thread- I appreciate it.

My condolences to her family and friends.

With so many people disenfranchised with politics as usual, it is a rare being who can instill hope and respect for the process.

This, I believe, is the number one factor in what is projected to possibly be a record low turnout for a primary election. It's not that lots and lots of voters are convinced that the GOP have overstepped, it's that many of them simply are not convinced that Democrats offer a better alternative.

If Cornelia Murphy was as described here then I would respectfully submit that Oregon Democrats ought to take their cue from her example.

Just to give one small example from my long-time status as an Independent. The Al Gore who ran in 2000 disgusted me. He came across as wishy-washy and trying his damndest to say what he thought people wanted to hear. I didn't vote for him. The Al Gore who showed up in 2004 full of fire and brimestone impressed the hell outta me. I'd have voted for him in a heartbeat!

Give us a reason to vote for you rather than against the other guy/gal.

Respectfully, Kevin Kamberg

When I met Cornelia in early 2003, I refered to myself as a "recovering labor and political organizer." She encouraged me get back on the horse. Within a few weeks I was working with her on the campaign to pass the Multnomah County I-Tax. I learned a lot from her.

After the campaign when I would find myself in AFSCME's Portland offices for a meeting, I was always disapointed when Corn Dog wasn't in or avilable for a little catching up or advice.

My condolances to Cornelia's family, friends everyone who was touched by her.

Oregon AFSCME's website has a brief article on Cornelia.

It includes this:

"Murphy’s family still faces many unexpected expenses related to her illness. Tax deductible donations can be made through the organization Take A Swing At Cancer as follows:

Cornelia Murphy Fund c/o Take A Swing At Cancer P.O. Box 5245 Framingham, MA 01701

Take A Swing At Cancer is a non-profit organization that passes 100 percent of all donations to the family; it does not take a “cut.” Murphy and her family had previously announced that should there be any leftover funds, they will be donated to the Scleroderma Foundation; Murphy’s mother suffered from scleroderma."

I only knew Cornelia briefly, I am truly sorry to say. We met on occasion at work-related events, but she and I shared stories about Washington, DC -our mutual hometown- and several wicked laughs about a lot of other stuff it turned out we had in common.

Thanks to Willie and Suzanne for doing such a beautiful job with their post, and warmest thoughts to all of her family and friends.

Cornelia will definately be missed. I'm so sorry that she has passed away but, thankful that she is no longer in pain. As a young political staffer in the 2000 election she was one of the many faces who welcomed me into "the movement" with open arms.

I hope we can all do a little something to help her family through this difficult and unfortunate time.

It's unbelievable that she is gone. Here are a couple of photos of Cornelia doing something she loved to do - fighting alongside her union brothers and sisters for the causes and people she believed in. Pictures of Cornelia

I had the honor of working with Cornelia 2002-2004 when I was Campaign Director of the Oregon AFL-CIO.

Cornelia was smart, savvy and persistent. She had a disarming smile that she used to full effect, especially when she wanted to change your mind. She was fiercely loyal and loved AFSCME's members. She always made sure that campaign volunteers were taken care of well.

She could be impatient and cantankerous and this made her all the more effective. But conflicts with Cornelia were about how to win for working families. She was a pro.

Oregon is better because she worked so hard here.

And I'm glad I got to fight shoulder to shoulder with her.

Cornelia Valentine Murphy - Corny to me was my friend, my colleague and my adversary at times. She bled green for AFSCME - loved Al Gore - and Bill Clinton - wondered why Monica was stupid and talked too much - did what ever Mr. McEntee wanted and would do whatever it took to keep Mr. Lucy happy, all day every day. In her final hours she took time to write me a note - asked about my race and told me to "Kick Ass". Whatever happens tonight - win or lose - victory or defeat - I will take a moment to thank Corny for being my friend, always putting the members first, giving us good turnouts when it mattered, feeding the volunteers the best food, and showing us how to do proper site visits (that means get there early and nail down the front for the "Green Machine"') - Corny we love you and will miss you tonight - but we know in our hearts that the Angels are wearing green shirts, hats, socks and are singing ... a rendition of "Everywhere we go, people want to know, who we are..so we tell them...We Are AFSCME, Mighty Mighty AFSCME" You go girl - Organize those angels and keep God on our side.

Mary Botkin

Cornelia managed to maintain an amazing balance between hopeful optimism and pragmatism. She was very committed, and never gave in to cynicism. It is very sad that we'll no longer have the pleasure of spending time with Cornelia.

Thank you for this wonderful post and the many tributes. I can't think of a more fitting way to honor Cornelia than to recognize her on a day that consumed so much of her passion - Election Day.

It was mentioned that she came here in 2000. In politics there are often people who think that with one campaign experience and a few episodes of The West Wing under their belts they are entitled to the biggest titles and salaries - especially in presidential years.

Cornelia was exactly the opposite. She was battle tested, a mercenary for the cause, and an organizer in the best sense. Her accomplishments were measured in how many people she got to show up for a phone bank, a rally, to door knock and to vote. Always tenacious, aggressive and sometimes even overbearing, she was damn good at it. Campaigns simply don't work without people willing to roll up their sleeves and do the job and I never saw her shy away.

We are all still in shock and saddened by her passing and Oregon's has Oregon has lost one it's true unsung political heroes who put their personal lives on hold to make democracy work.

I know at all of our events, I'll always envision an honorary section for the volunteers that Cornelia wouldn't take no for an answer until they got in and up front.

Cornelia you will be missed!

Unsung heroes

Thanks Suzanne and Willie, I can attest that Cornelia will be missed in our house. In addition to the political relationship, she was a friend and for a time a neighbor. As Suzanne's husband I meet many people and I may often forget who they were or their name on the next meeting. Cornelia was different--she was easy to remember and will never be forgotten.

Thank you very much on behalf of our family for the wonderful story and tribute to my sister Cornelia. While our grief and sadness can't be lessened, the incredible outpouring of support and love from all Cornelia's co-workers, colleagues and members in Oregon and elsewhere has provided us with a tribute to her life during her final days and now, shortly after her death.

The scheduling of the date appears to have been an oversight and we will work to make sure all people are able to participate in the event.

I am posting Cornelia's obituary that will appear in the Oregonian shortly. Also, people should feel free to log on to www.carepages.com and enter Cornelia's carepage at CorneliaMurphy to view other tribites to her work and her life. I look forward to meeting many of you in Portland on the 2nd.

With sincere thanks,

Paul J. Murphy (brother to Cornelia Murphy)

Cornelia Valentine Murphy

Born June 29, 1965, deceased May 13, 2006, after a courageous battle with advanced ovarian cancer.

Cornelia was a beautiful and loving outgoing woman with an infectious laugh, dedicated to her work and her family and always ready to offer a smile and words of encouragement to those around her. She was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Jamestown Rhode Island. Most recently Cornelia lived in Portland, Oregon and San Jose, California. Cornelia earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the California State, Northridge and had a successful career in politics, following in the footsteps of her father who worked over twenty years for the Congressional Research Service and as a speechwriter for then Speaker of the House Carl Albert.

Cornelia worked for elected officials on Capitol Hill in D.C. and Iowa, and on Presidential and local campaigns. Since 1999 Cornelia served the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Labor Union as the Oregon Political Campaign Manager. At AFSCME she coordinated efforts on a number of local elections and national issues, including the passage and preservation of the Multnomah Income Tax. She fought to protect public services through State Ballot Measures 28 and 30 and to defeat the Paycheck Deception Legislation.

Cornelia is survived by her father Cornelius F. Murphy Jr., her brothers Jeremiah and Paul J. Murphy, her sister-in-law Jodi Lindenthal, nephews Harry and Gus Murphy. Cornelia is the daughter of Muriel Valentine Murphy (deceased), the niece of Harriet Valentine Gelfuso (deceased) and the granddaughter of Harry and Muriel Valentine (deceased) and Cornelius F. Murphy and Mary Ellen Brady Murphy (deceased). Cornelia also leaves behind many cousins and dear friends across the United States.

Memorial services will be held in San Jose California on Thursday May 25th at the First Unitarian Church at 3 pm. A Memorial Service will be held in Portland Oregon at the Longshoremen’s Hall at 2435 NW Front at 11 am on Friday June 2nd. A Memorial Service in Rhode Island is scheduled for July at the Memorial Funeral Home in Newport. A later posting will provide the date and time of the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations should be made in Cornelia’s name to the Scleroderma Foundation at 300 Rosewood Drive, Suite 105 Danvers, MA 01923 or via the web at www.scleroderma.org.

I met Corneilia in the fall of 2001 when working for the Voter Education Project. It was not always easy finding volunteers to help us track down and monitor peitioners ( many of whom were affilaiated with Bill Sizemore and were used to playing by their own rules). Although Cornelia was not directly employed by VEP, she was, not surprisingly, one of our most enthusiastic supporters. I'll never forget meeting Cornelia in Springfield as she introduced me to AFSCME and other union memebers at the labor temple, and helped plug the project. SHe was the greatest advocate, friend, salesperson, spokesperson, ect..., that one could ever hope to meet, and labor was so lucky to have Corneila on their side, our side, I should say. On several occasions during that time we went out for drinks, and I'll always rememebr that huge smile, that wonderful laugh, that optomism. Last year, I stopped by the AFSCME office and knocked on Cornelia's office door. She invited me in for coffee and we had a good visit. She told me that she was thinking of moving to CA. It was one of those moments that you don't realize was important until later. I'll always remember every time I was around Cornelia. She really was special.

My condolences to Cornelia's friends and family.

I worked with Cornelia on AFSCME's 2004 Oregon campaign. She helped me get my start in Oregon politics. She was an amazing human being. She taught me a lot about union organizing and I enjoyed her wit, wisdom and especially her kick ass can-do spirit. Her laughter was also highly addictive.

She shall be missed greatly. I wish I had maintained greater contact with her when I moved up to Seattle. I will try to make the memorial service on June 2.

Having had the opportunity to get to know Corn over the last 6 years, I can honestly say that there was and never will be someone like her. Her charisma and heart felt beliefs in fighting the good fight has left us all a mdel of activisim we should aspire to emulate.

She will be sorely missed by all of us! We love you Corn!

Chris Groener

She was a warm person. My condolences to her family and friends.