Joan Murphy, 59, died December 28, after a long battle with cancer. Joan was born and raised in Milton, Mass., the oldest child of the late Russell and Virginia (Lakan) Murphy. After graduating from Framingham State College in Massachusetts, she moved to Connecticut.
Thirty years ago Joan was among a small group of New England textile dealers who helped elevate vintage clothing and antique fabrics to a newly appreciated class of antiques and collectibles. She was a regular exhibitor at many antiques shows throughout the Northeast and New York City. Joan was well known for her great taste and reasonable prices for vintage pieces from the early to mid-Twentieth Century. She had a large following and many loyal customers.
In 1981 she opened a vintage clothing shop in Avon, Conn., and, inspired by a label on a packet of old buttons, named her shop Roxie Taylor Vintage Clothing. Joan also was an accomplished seamstress with an incredible eye for design and color. She created and sold finely detailed pillows and tote bags made from vintage bark cloth fabric that became a favorite of designers and interior decorators. Many of her works appeared over the past 30 years in newspaper articles and design magazines.
She was also an early collector of vintage sock monkeys. A recent book, Sock Monkeys, by Arne Svenson and Ron Warren, highlighted Joan’s 300-piece collection.
Joan was the eldest of seven children and is survived by three brothers and three sisters, many nieces and nephews, friends and her beloved cat, Spike. She was a gentle, courageous woman with a mischievous and quirky sense of humor. Joan will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.
Memorial donations may be made to the Helen and Harry Gray Cancer Center, 85 Retreat Avenue. Hartford, CT 06106. People may visit and sign Joan’s guestbook at the Hartford Courant www.legacy.com/HartfordCourant/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=100420761 .
