Lodge resident depicted in "American Gothic" style painting

Martha "Marty" Murphy, 90, is tickled that her daughter brought a painting from home to put up in her room at The Lodge at MapleCreek. At first glance, it reminds you of the classic painting "American Gothic," painted by Grant Wood in 1930 and imitated countless times in the past 80 years. The Wood painting hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago. The one in Marty's room depicts Marty and her husband, Red, standing in place of the original subjects in front of the Carpenter Gothic style house. Instead of the three-pronged hay fork, Red is shown holding a mop. The story behind the painting explains all.

"Red and I were custodians for the Thornapple-Kellogg school district in Middleville for 18 years," Marty said. "He was in charge of the custodial staff at the middle school, and I was a custodial worker at the new high school - and I was a safety guard for the children to help them cross the street. When we both retired at age 62, the art teacher painted this portrait of us. It was a gift from everyone at the school."

Look over on the shelf in Marty's room, and you'll see a photo of LeRoy Harold "Red" Murphy and his bride on their 50th Anniversary in 1991. "I was a few weeks older than my husband," Marty said. "So for 23 days, between our birthdays, I was a year older." Red passed away in about 1997. These days Marty is pleased that she is still doing pretty well. She has wonderful memories of Red. "I had the best husband in the world," she gushed. "He never did anything without me."