In Memoriam: Molly Fury

Molly Fury, who served for 27 years as Western’s Campus Telephone Operator, passed away on May 15.

As the campus operator, Molly had the great responsibility of being many people’s first impression of Western; her warm-hearted presence and generous, open spirit came through in every interaction.  I can think of no one better to represent our university to the parents and community members that she interacted with every day.

The campus will miss Molly on the switchboard, and we in IT Services will miss her around the office.  She had a friendly word and a hearty laugh for everyone who walked by, and if you were a soccer fan, you could always pull up a chair and lose an hour talking with Molly about the Sounders vs the Timbers, Real Madrird vs Barca, and anything else related to the World’s Game.  Her enthusiasm for the sport was boundless and infectious.

Molly was the model of an engaged, customer-centered public servant.  Her approach to work every day was inspiring, and we feel her absence just as much as we felt her presence.  In her honor, IT Services has established the annual Molly Fury Excellent Customer Service Award, to recognize the IT professional who most embodies Molly’s spirit of care and support.  We have also laid a brick in her honor on the walkway that crosses the Old Main lawn; we encourage those who were touched by her in life to visit it and pay respects to all she meant to our community.

See Molly's brick here:

map screenshot showing the location of Molly's brick in front of Old Main