Gisele Murphy Booker - Obituary

ur beloved Gisele Murphy Booker of Clinton, Maryland transitioned to "eternal life" during July 2023. She was the loving and devoted wife of Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Booker, the mother of Christine Booker and Danielle Booker, and the grandmother of Danielle G. Booker and Yanni Scott. Gisele, the second of four siblings, was born to the late Chief Master Sergeant Donald Murphy of Dallas, Texas, and the late Jimmie Ruth Murphy (McCutcheon) of Shreveport, Louisiana. Soon after birth in Shreveport, Gisele and her family moved to London, England as her father continued his Air Force career. In addition to London, Gisele and her family resided in Omaha, Bangkok, Upstate New York, Colorado Springs, and Washington, D.C. She graduated from La Reine High School, Suitland, Maryland in 1973. Gisele and her sisters, DeEarcie, Donna, and Rachel, were later known as "The Murphy Girls". She met Ronald Booker of Chicago while he was undergoing Marine Corps training at Quantico, Virginia after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. Gisele and Ronald were married about a year later during 1978 in the Naval Academy Chapel - they were married for nearly 45 years. As Ronald's Marine Corps service progressed, they lived in South Carolina, Okinawa, Quantico, California, and Washington, D.C. Gisele overcame many obstacles in continuing her education and establishing a career while moving throughout the world as a wife of a service member. She postponed earning a college degree after completing three years at American University, Washington, D.C., when she married and moved to South Carolina. She resumed her education during the early 1980's. She attended Mary Washington College, Virginia. In California, she attended Monterey Peninsula College, Hartnell College, and Golden Gate University where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Management in 1985. She accepted employment as a store clerk and substitute teacher in South Carolina, an education assistant in Okinawa, a military uniform salesperson in Quantico, and a corporate tax auditor for the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C. She was a no nonsense, straightforward, and forthright person. Gisele would not hesitate to share her impartial opinion which was "usually" delivered in a nice manner. With an outgoing personality, most people always remembered Gisele Booker or "Miss Gisele" after their first meeting. She easily made friends, and some of her life-long friends included Angela Clark and Kendra Coker (proceeded her in death) whom she first met in California during the mid-1980's, and who all settled down in Maryland. Gisele always served as an exceptional volunteer and mentor within her community. In the early 1990's, she viewed an Oprah Winfrey Show special about children in foster care. She decided to open up her home to children in need and to become a foster parent. Gisele and Ronald were foster parents of 15 children over 15 years, ranging in age from newborn to five years. She was an active member of the Prince George's County Foster Parent Association. Continuing with her service to children, Gisele was on the staff of two local dance schools, the Christian Dance Academy of Clinton and the OH! Ballet Arts Academy (BAA) of Waldorf. With her compassion for children and her wealth of experience, she "wore many hats" at BAA, customer service representative, secretary, accountant, wardrobe director, costume seamstress, and mentor. Gisele's daughters and granddaughters are avid dancers, both of her daughters were dance instructors. In addition to her husband, daughters, and granddaughters, Gisele is survived by her sisters and brothers-in-law, DeEarcie (Michael) Gaddy, Donna (Anthony) Barnes, and Rachel (Antonio) Samuel, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Nina (Victor) Daniels, Shirley Booker, Rita Davis, and Timothy (Lorraine) Booker, seven nephews, Craig, Marcus (Mia), Vincent, Jonathan, Brandon (Dedra), Phillip (Whitney), and Kevin, five nieces, Ashley, Christina, Jasmin, Alexandra (Kevin), and Dominique (Brennan), and many aunts, cousins, other relatives, and friends. A livestream of Gisele's funeral service can be viewed by accessing YouTube (Watch Mass Live) via the church's web site (https://www.holyfamilyparishmd.org ). In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Ballet Arts Academy online at https://balletartsacademy.wixsite.com/home/donate , CashApp code $ohbaa or checks made payable to Ballet Arts Academy, P.O. Box 352, Brandywine, MD 20613. Online condolences may be offered using the Memories tab on this page.