Local wedding more than husband, wife

Jill Murphy faced a bit of a conundrum while planning her wedding in May.

But, it was not one that would ruin her big day. In fact, it made for a great memory.

Murphy said it was difficult for her to choose bridesmaids to participate in her May 9 wedding in Morton.

“I have a lot of really close friends,” she said. “I didn’t want to hurt their feelings.”

So, she decided not to ask any to be her bridesmaids. Instead, she opted for two older cancer survivors to cruise the aisle for her wedding.

The wedding took place on Mothers’ Day weekend, which also coincided with Race for the Cure, which made for a perfect setting, Murphy said.

So, she invited Lucille “Momma Lu” Easton, 86, and Fran Johnson, 83, to be her maids of honor in the wedding.

The invitation came as a shock to the two 80-somethings, Murphy said.

“When I asked them, they were totally overjoyed,” she said.

“I never ever dreamed that would happen,” Momma Lu, a Peru resident, said. “When you get older, those kinds of things don’t happen.”

Over the phone, Murphy asked Momma Lu to be in her wedding. Initially, Momma Lu did not think anything of the request.

“I thought she was teasing,” she said. “She does that often ... I had no idea she was sincere.

“I said, ‘Tell me again,’” Momma Lu added.

Finally grasping the reality of Murphy’s invitation, Momma Lu said she perked up.

“I told her I’d be honored,” Momma Lu said.

Murphy, formerly Jill Alleman, knew Momma Lu through her friendship with Momma Lu’s daughter, Donna Goodrick. The two have been friends since kindergarten.

Momma Lu still takes oral chemotherapy for a rare blood disease she has been aware of for 24 years. Johnson is an ovarian cancer survivor who was diagnosed 20 years ago.

Johnson, who resides in Edwards, said she was equally as surprised as Momma Lu after being asked to be Murphy’s maid of honor.

“I couldn’t believe it at first,” Johnson said.

She and her husband, Merrill, were asked to go on a trip to Myrtle Beach during the date of the wedding — something Johnson said was going to have to wait. She was not going to pass up the opportunity to be in a wedding, she added.

“It was very sweet of (Jill) to ask me,” Johnson said.

Johnson and Momma Lu learned they had a lot in common when they first met during a dinner party at Murphy’s house.

“(Jill) thought we’d enjoy each other,” Momma Lu said. “And, of course, she was right.”

What really solidified their friendship was their choice in gowns, Murphy said.

“I told the ladies I love the color pink,” she said. “They both ordered the exact same dress. It was not planned. It was a riot.”

Murphy met her husband, Jim, through his son and daughter-in-law, Danny and Kathy, while working in Chandler, Ariz. Murphy worked with Danny, and he hooked her up with Jim.

Murphy said many who attended the wedding were impressed at how smooth the whole day went.

But, she credited a lot of the day’s success to those who contributed to the festivities.

The wedding took place at Advent Lutheran Church in Morton. The Rev. John Bachman officiated the wedding. Bachman’s friend, the Rev. Dennis O’Brien offered the church for the wedding. Karen and Jeff Soltow offered their home for the reception after the wedding. Roger Hunsicker provided candid photos from the wedding. Jill Newby, a friend of Murphy’s for 30 years, bought the wedding cake.

Murphy said the contributions of those people during the wedding were what made the day so wonderful.

“All of my close friends just came together for me,” she said.

“We have been blessed with wonderful people in our lives,” Murphy said. “What’s important are the people around you.”

“I have relived that day a thousand times since May 9,” she added.

For Momma Lu, it was a day she will cherish for the rest of her life, she said.

“Most people don’t get to be in their 80s and still enjoy life,” Momma Lu said. “Just because you are 86 years old doesn’t mean you have to lay down and die. You keep on going and keep on smiling.

“I hope others say, ‘If she can do it, I can do it, too,’” she added.