Jennifer Drew Murzyn
Jennifer (Jenny) Murzyn, 52, of Albuquerque, died unexpectedly on December 31, 2021 after undergoing surgery to treat injuries sustained in a car accident. Her loss came as a complete surprise and her family and friends are shocked and deeply saddened.
Jenny was born on April 17, 1969 to Paul and Sara Johnson and sister to Erik Johnson in Los Alamos NM. As a child, she loved summer visits with Erik to see her grandmother and other family members in Oklahoma, and often shared fond memories of those trips. She loved her hometown and her close group of high school friends, and enjoyed an active social life. She graduated from Los Alamos High School in 1987 where she played basketball and track and field.
Jenny attended college at New Mexico Tech and then received her degree in psychology from the University of New Mexico. She worked for Goodwill Industries in Albuquerque for several years as a careers counselor for working adults with special needs. She returned to UNM to earn an Information Technology degree and switched careers to work on the Airborne Laser project as a civilian Air Force employee at Kirtland Air Force Base for several years.
In 1992, while living in Albuquerque, she met the love of her life, Stephan Murzyn, while working in a care facility for older adults. They married in 1995 and had two children, Nathan and Hannah. When Nathan and Hannah were young, she put her career on hold so she could better care for her children and support Stephan in his career with the Albuquerque Fire Department. She often spoke of her enormous pride in Stephan’s career as a paramedic and later in his position as a first lieutenant in the fire department. She was an active part of the firefighting community, befriending many of his fellow firefighters and their spouses and caring deeply about their well-being. She developed lifelong friendships with Bonnie Cleveland and Sara Ironside.
Jenny played an important role in her children’s education, selecting the best charter and public schools for them and actively engaging with them at science fairs across the state. As Hannah grew older, Jenny and Hannah became inseparable and shared a particularly close mother-daughter bond. In recent years, Jenny has been pleased that both Nathan and Hannah are pursuing bachelor’s degrees from UNM, their alma mater, and she has been pleased with their academic achievements. She brought life and love into the life of her family. She was very sensitive to their feelings and needs and humbly and faithfully served them as a wife and mother. As her children reached college age Jenny was able to spend more time with her father Paul and brother Erik, she cherished those precious hours.
Jenny was a fun conversationalist and was very inquisitive and inquisitive. She was introspective, logical, and surprisingly open to the ideas and opinions of others. She wanted to get to know the people she loved deeply and to understand their feelings and ideas and the reasons behind their beliefs and thoughts. Jenny eagerly engaged her family and friends in intense discussions about relationships, current events, politics, religion, television, movies, music, history and food. She loved to laugh and make others laugh.
Because of her outgoing nature, openness and interest in others, Jenny was adored by many. In 1988 Jenny met Susie (Engi) Raiford and they began a perfect friendship that lasted 34 years. A whole book couldn’t capture the stories behind all of their funny, heartfelt and happy memories. Susie’s family also loved Jenny, and they were often (sometimes involuntarily) drafted in to discuss points of discussion and disagreements, such as which pizza is the best in Albuquerque and when sopapilles are typically served.
Jenny had a brilliant mind and an eidetic memory. She excelled at putting clues together and regularly ruined movies for her family and friends by blurting out what was about to happen. She was very interested in crime documentaries and dramas, as well as books on forensic analysis and psychopathy. She toyed with the idea of going back to college and pursuing a second career in criminology or forensics. Jenny also spent time with Hannah, who volunteered for Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and she wanted a woman to be president one day.
Jenny is survived by her loving husband Stephan, son Nathan, daughter Hannah, father Paul, brother Erik, aunt Ramona Bush, cousins Sandra Rinquest, Pamela Venturi, Jerry Williamson, Glenn Evans, Sharon Main, Gary Johnson, Lee Bush, Sydney Bush and their cousins Familys; step-siblings Monica Orr, Chad Harris, Terry Harris and their families; best friend Susie and her family and many other relatives and friends across the country.
Due to the family’s desire to protect everyone Jenny loved during the pandemic, a memorial service will not be held.
Published by the on January 23, 2022.
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