The world lost an incredibly special lady, as Elita Mallers Murphy passed away on September 8th, 2022. It was a beautiful Colorado day.
Elita was born April 26, 1930, to John B. Mallers and Elita Elizabeth Esch in Chicago, IL. She spent most of her childhood in Lake Forest, IL with cherished summers in Nopeming, a large family retreat in the woods of Northern Minnesota. It was there she developed a great love of adventure and the outdoors, as she so enjoyed to camp and fish with her two brothers, John and Bob.
After studying Art History and the art of water skiing at Florida Southern University, Elita burst into the world of tennis where she entered, and won many city and state tournaments. While playing tennis she met her future husband, Charles F. Murphy Jr., whom she married in 1954.
For years Elita travelled the world and was very active with Chicago based charity organizations, especially with The American Red Cross and The American Cancer Society. She also made quite a splash on the fashion scene and was often captured by newspapers and magazines wearing cutting edge designs. Time Magazine documented Elita as wearing the first dressy pantsuit in Chicago in 1966. That segment that was distributed worldwide in 1966.
During that time she had her oldest daughter and namesake, Elita, followed by her son Charlie and daughter Marisa, each seven years apart. In 1968 the family bought a house in Aspen where she truly embraced that lifestyle and became known as ‘Mountain Mama.’ After her divorce in 1972, Elita raised her three children in the fresh mountain air, and they spent much time skiing, biking, and hiking.
In 1982 Elita moved to La Jolla to be ‘Barefoot on the Beach.’ She was often spotted tootling around in her 1971 green 280SE Mercedes with the top down. She began another chapter filled with tennis, fashion and a continuous gathering of fun and deeply interesting people with whom she celebrated life on and off the court.
Elita returned to Colorado in 2009 to be close to her daughter, Marisa, and many friends. She remained highly social, genuinely enjoying life with good food and excellent champagne.
She will be remembered for her love of people, her sharing of a rich life through photographs, and her infectious bounce and enthusiasm. One of her favorite quotes was: “Just outside your door is a lifetime of adventure.’
Elita is survived by her daughter Elita Murphy, son Charles F. Murphy III, daughter Marisa Murphy and her highly prized granddaughter Paula Pelavin.
Those wishing to make a contribution in her memory may contribute to The American Red Cross.
