Annie Mary Katherine Bridget Theresa Murphy Springer

Annie Mary Katherine Bridget Theresa Murphy Springer

The Sebastopol Times is now accepting obituaries for Sebastopol and West County residents free of charge. Send to sebastopoltimes@gmail.com.

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All four grandparents from Tralee Ireland, Annie was born in Boston Massachusetts April 13, 1935. A graduate from Simmons College Boston in 1956, she taught a year in Goodland, Indiana, while getting her Master's Degree from Purdue University in 1959. She obtained a life teaching credential from California Community College Hayward.

From 1959 to 1962 she worked as Program Director for the Department of the Army in Germany developing community programs. From there she traveled throughout Europe returning to California with the City of Oakland as a group worker and liaison between minority motorcycle gangs and ten public agencies. Subsequently until 1965 her focus was programs and budget decisions to prepare gang members for education and employment opportunities.

The Ford Foundation Model Project employed her as Program Developer for Native American, Black, and Hispanic community-based organizations. From 1968 to 1971 she was Training Chief for the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity and traveled all western states including Hawaii and Alaska with the Model Cities Program. 

She settled in Bodega California with her beloved husband David Springer in 1971, designing and building their house together by hand. In 1979 she became one of three women Fire Chiefs in the nation as Chief for the Bodega Volunteer Fire Department. She served until December 1984 while teaching management courses at Sonoma State University and at the National Fire Academy in Maryland and co- authoring currently-used courses and textbooks. 

In 1984 she was honored by being appointed a member of the Senior Associate Faculty of the Senior Executive Policy Center for FEMA's National Emergency Training Center in Maryland and is listed in Who's Who of American Women.

Meanwhile, she consulted for numerous and varied clients including banks, hospitals, wineries and small businesses, cities, fire departments, and other public agencies including CISM (Sonoma County Critical Incident Stress Management Team).

Annie wasn't all work and no play, however. She had a long-standing friendship with Duke Ellington. After retirement she became known for her watercolors and watercolor classes one of which was especially designed for men. She loved any color as long as it was purple. After teaching a National Fire Academy class, her students named her "Attila the Grape". She created a video series on PBS called "The Wonders of Watercolor" demonstrating plein air painting in local sites.

She died at home on the morning of March 10th of leukemia after only eight days. She is survived by her nephews Michael Murphy and James Murphy, and her niece Alice-Ann Murphy Burge and innumerable friends.

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The Sebastopol Times is now accepting obituaries for Sebastopol and West County residents free of charge. Send to sebastopoltimes@gmail.com.