Sheila (Murphy) Abourjaily

CAPE ELIZABETH – Sheila (Murphy) Abourjaily entered eternal life on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023 at her seaside home in Cape Elizabeth.

Born in Lewiston, she was the daughter of Charles and Natalie Clukey Murphy. Sheila dedicated her life to serving others in her chosen field of nursing, continuing her education as a member of the first graduating class of nurse practitioners in the state of Maine. Sheila was known for her astute diagnostic skills.

In addition to caring for patients, Sheila was a talented businesswoman, managing her husband’s successful surgical practice in Portland and a medical office building in South Portland. She took her compassion and clinical skills to sick children, helping patients on medical trips in Colombia, China, and Ukraine. The relationships she developed on these medical teams remained important to her throughout her life, and she returned several times to continue her commitment to these organizations.

Sheila was also one of the first and longest hosts to the Beach to Beacon Road Race runners and became lifelong friends with many of the runners from all over the world who stayed with her. She was invited to visit these friends in their home countries that included Mexico and Kenya, where there were streets and babies named in her honor. Her relationship with her running friends sparked an interest to become an avid runner herself later in life, and you could often find her running the Back Cove trail in all types of weather.

In addition to being a great hostess, Sheila was a lover of fashion and a keen shopper – a model in her younger years. A Pisces, Sheila loved being near the water and divided her time between her home in Cape Elizabeth and her winter home in Sand Key Beach, Fla.

Sheila is survived by her loving husband, Georges; her brother, Monsignor Charles Murphy; her daughters Karen DiPasquale (Tommy) and Erin Dawson-Chalat (Josef); stepchildren Paul (Heather), Mark (Kelly), Karl (Angela); six adoring grandchildren, Zachary, Luke, Patrick, Harper, Natalie, and Zodi; and her cherished dogs Jamil, Tabib, and Sofia.

Sheila lived a full life as a caring nurse practitioner, a loving wife, and beloved mother and grandmother and was deeply loved by all. She will be greatly missed by her family and many friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in her memory at 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 10 at St. Bartholomew Church, 8 Two Lights Rd., Cape Elizabeth with a reception to follow at Inn by the Sea, 40 Bowery Beach Rd,, Cape Elizabeth. All are welcome. A private interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery in Lewiston the following day. Arrangements are under the direction of the Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Home of South Portland. To view her memorial page, or to share an online condolence, please visit http://www.ConroyTullyWalker.com.

In lieu of flowers, we are happy for any donations to be sent to friendsofanimals.org in honor of Sheila’s love for animals, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (donors@stjude.org).


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