Saying Thanks to Honor His Sister

Morgan Murdough of Henniker puts countless hours into raising money for Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer Care in memory of his sister, Stephanie Riley, who died of cancer just after Christmas in 2014.

“She is the reason. She started our Rock ‘N Race team in 2014,” he said. “She had that spirit of giving and helping others and I am grateful to be able to keep that going. Rock ‘N Race gives me that outlet.”

Morgan hasn’t just kept Stephanie’s efforts going. He was top fundraiser for the Merrimack County Savings Bank Rock ‘N Race 5K run/walk in 2016, collecting $4,285 personally and helping his team raise $5,870 for Payson Center.

The Rock ‘N Race team that Morgan’s sister organized is called Steph Strong. It includes dozens of runners and walkers, who join thousands for the annual fundraiser to support cancer care. Morgan acknowledges that raising money, even for a good cause, isn’t always easy, but he makes it fun. One year, he ran an auction. Another year, he made special T-shirts worth thousands of dollars through his business, and donated them to the Steph Strong team. He is planning a nice fishing derby for a future Payson Center fundraising event and even expects to revive an elaborate haunted hayride in Henniker.

Morgan is pleased the money he and other Rock ‘N Race participants raise goes directly to help Payson Center patients.

In addition to being grateful to volunteer in memory of his sister, Morgan is grateful for the cancer care Stephanie and their mother, Janet Murdough, received at Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer Care. Both were being treated at the same time. Janet passed away seven months after Stephanie. He recalled that Stephanie, a career military and civilian nurse, was rushed in pain to the Hospital on Christmas Eve 2014, but was able to return home the next day.

“Concord Hospital did such a good job with pain management that we did have Christmas,” he said. “It was her last one and mom’s last one. It was an awesome Christmas and Concord Hospital made that possible.”