Marie Murphy received a call that her house was on fire one day last April. The avid sports fan and fifth grade teacher rushed home and ran inside her burning house to save one thing: her Phillies season tickets.
Losing everything she owned except those Phillies tickets, the Stratford, N.J. teacher is now living in a motel five months later with her husband and her mother, trying to rebuild what they had.
In an effort to encourage and lift her spirits, the school where Murphy teaches held a surprise pep rally Thursday afternoon, with help from the Philadelphia Phillies.
Murphy, who has been teaching for more than 20 years, was overwhelmed with emotion as the Phillies Phanatic, Phillies announcer Jim Jackson, and director of season ticket sales Derek Schuster arrived to pep her up at the John Paul II Regional School 12:30 p.m. Thursday, bearing gifts.
Among the various gifts from the Phillies, Murphy was given a Jayson Werth T-shirt, which she put on immediately.
Representatives from the Phillies reminded the crowd that if you have season tickets and your house is on fire, don't run into your house. The Phillies will reprint your tickets.
