John Murphy

John Henry Murphy
1943-2016

The smiling soul of our beloved husband, father, and friend, John Henry Murphy, was ushered to his heavenly home on the sunny day of February 9, 2016. He was surrounded by loving family and many dear friends.

He was born in Ridgeland, South Carolina on September 20, 1943 to William Andrew Murphy and Sally Faye Patrick. He graduated from Beaufort High School and worked with the local radio station WBEU and had a newspaper article written about him. He served as Master Sergeant for the United States Air Force under the Vietnam Era and Peacetime from June 1962 to June 1982. He also served as Communication Electronics Engineer at the Air Force. After leaving the service, he was a Chief Communications Operator for CNZ Communications.

He met the love of his life, Kazuko, in 1980 in Austin, Texas. February 9, 2016 marks their 34th anniversary. He has four children, his sons, Andrew and Johnny Lee, and daughters, Cindy and Kimi. He also has eight grandchildren and one great grandson.

His favorite hobbies were working on radios and electronics, listening to music and singing. He would grace many people with his singing voice. He was a devoted Christian and a member of New Hope Church. He was baptized on August 21, 2005. During his illness, he held tight to Psalms 23, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul, he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies, thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

He was known to give thumbs up when he was in pain, he would always smile at the nurses and staff, he would never say goodbye, and he would always say, "See you later."

A celebration memorial service of John's life is scheduled in Austin, Texas for Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 10:30 am at the Grace First Community Church, 6020 South 1st Street, Austin, Texas, 78745, Phone 512-441-4130. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make a donation to ALS Association of Texas http://www.alstexas.org/donate/ways-to-give/