Last spring a Queen Anne man committed suicide in Discovery Park.  The death of businessman Shaun Murphy shocked his family and friends and this blog became a place for them to share their memories. Murphy left behind a wife and young children.

We wanted to share a note we received from  Allison Murphy who is now  looking for support for her efforts to raise money for suicide prevention.

I will be joined by thousands of people at Green Lake on October 10 to walk in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)  Out of the Darkness Community Walk in honor of Shaun Murphy who we lost in May to suicide. My personal fundraising goal is $5,000.  I recognize that this goal is considerable, but I would appreciate any support that you can provide for this worthwhile cause.

For reasons we cannot truly understand, we lost our beloved Shaun Murphy in Discovery Park in Seattle on May 25th, 2010. Shaun was a devoted father, husband, son, brother and friend. He was the respected leader of a successful business and a pillar of the community. Shaun’s passing taught us that suicide is not a tragedy that is isolated to a certain stereotype.  It does not occur only with those who are perceived as fragile, ill, or secluded. To the contrary, Shaun was as strong, loving and passionate a person as most people will ever come across in a lifetime. We miss Shaun dearly and we sincerely believe that our efforts here along with any support we receive will help bring awareness, education, and ultimately prevention from this tragedy that impacts so many Americans.

To make an online donation please search for my name (Allison Murphy) on www.outofthedarkness.org and the click “support this participant.”  If you would rather donate by check please make the check out to AFSP and mail it in with the offline donation form.