Heather Murphey, age 33, of Brookings, died Sunday, January 9, 2011, at the E.R., Brookings Hospital. Memorial services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Saturday, January 15, 2011, at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings.

Heather Leigh Murphey was born April 26, 1977, to Duane and Marcia (Lund) Murphey in Pierre, South Dakota. She grew up in Pierre and graduated from Riggs High School in Pierre.

After graduation Heather went to South Dakota State University in Brookings, where she received a B.A. degree in Art Education. She taught for awhile and then decided to return to SDSU where she received a M.A. in English.

While going to college in Brookings Heather worked with ADVANCE and Daktronics, then Black Hills Workshop and Regional West in Rapid City, and finally as an English instructor at SDSU.

Heather was a member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms. She also enjoyed her sideline business of making life-like collectible dolls known as reborn babies.

Heather is survived by her parents, Duane and Marcia Murphey of Custer, South Dakota; her brother, Ryan Murphey of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; her grandmothers, Ruth Murphey Hansen of Sioux Falls, and Alice Lund of Buffalo Lake, Minnesota; a niece, Sidni and her mother, Eda Murphey of Rapid City, South Dakota; aunts and uncles: David and Debbie Lund of Atlanta, Georgia, Nancy Long and Bill Wilkinson of Denver, Colorado, and Kathy and Craig Campbell of Glenarm, Illinois; cousins: Justin and Jenn Lund, Josh Lund, Amanda Long, and Max Long. She was preceded in death by her grandfathers, Chester H. Murphey and Orie M. Lund.