Sally Murphy Martin

Sally Murphy Martin of Montauk died on Friday with her husband, Thomas, at her side in the house the two built together. Ms. Martin 's only son, Thomas B. Martin, was also there, and the family said they could not have gotten through the experience without the support they received from East End Hospice. Ms. Martin was 65 and had pancreatic cancer.

She worked for the South Huntington School District for 34 years, first as a math teacher and then as a guidance counselor.

Ms. Martin 's teaching career is what led her to meet her husband, who was a guidance counselor in the same district. They lived in East Setauket and took vacations in Montauk, going on to buy land on Dogwood Street in that hamlet in 1973. In 1977 they began building their own house, which Ms. Martin designed.

Upon her retirement in 2007, the couple moved full time to Montauk, where Ms. Martin was a watercolorist, enthusiastic bridge player, and sailor, a very good one, her husband said.

Ms. Martin volunteered with the English as a second language program at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Montauk, and she was involved with, and a former chapter president of, P.E.O. International, an organization that supports educational opportunities for women.

Born in Huntington on Feb. 15, 1946, she went to school in the Half Hollow Hills district and later attended Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J., and Long Island University in Brookville.

In addition to her husband and her son, who also lives in Montauk, Ms. Martin is survived by her mother, Helen Wilbur of Southbury, Conn., two brothers, Neil Murphy of California and Brian Murphy of Mattituck, and three nieces and nephews. Her father, Benjamin Murphy, predeceased her.

A funeral Mass was said on Tuesday at St. Therese of Lisieux. Mr. Martin suggested donations in his wife 's name to the St. Therese Nursery School, 55 South Etna Avenue, Montauk 11954.