Michael William Murphy
February 16, 1949 ~ March 27, 2011
Michael William Murphy, 62, of Marion, died Sunday, March 27, 2011, at Hallmark Care Center, Mt. Vernon. Funeral Mass: 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 31, 2011, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Marion, by Rev. Rodney Allers. Visitation: 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Cedar Rapids, with a vigil service at 7 p.m. Private Family Burial: Greenwood Cemetery, Cedar Falls, Iowa. Survivors include his wife Mary; daughter, Sandra Murphy of Marion; two sons, John (Sarah) Murphy of Ankeny, Iowa, and Mark Murphy of Rome, Italy; brother, Tom Murphy; three sisters, Pat Murphy, Mary Murphy and Julie Friis, all of Cedar Falls; three grandchildren, Madeleine, Emily, and Max; and nieces and nephews, Megan Murphy, Keith Murphy, Ryan O'Leary, Holly Newmen , J.J. Friis, and Jamie Friis. Mike was born February 16, 1949, in Cedar Falls, the son of Kenneth and Frances (Smith) Murphy. He graduated from Cedar Falls High School in 1967, where he was named to the All-State football team. He went on to graduate in 1972, from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Engineering. On March 18, 1972, he married Mary O'Leary in Waterloo, Iowa. He worked for DC Taylor Company from 1978-1996. Mike had a generous, joyful and fun-loving spirit. He greatly enjoyed coaching football at St. Joseph Catholic School. His many passions include being a loyal fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes, following local sports, fishing, exercising and walking. He will be remembered as a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. Mike was preceded in death by his parents. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Catholic Worker House
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Mary, John, Sandy, Mark,
Very sorry to hear about Mike.
He was a great guy, great salesleader, great Hawkeye fan. He was very proud of his children and humble about his accomplishments. I am a better person for knowing Mike Murphy.
Our prayers and thoughts with you. I am very sorry that we will be in Northfield, MN. taking care of the grandchildren as Matt & Paula are on vacation. I am very sorry we will have to miss paying our respects in person.
Ken & Kathy
Mary and family,
So sorry for your loss. Mike was such a good man, and I’m sure he is sitting in a special place in heaven. May God help you find peace. You will all be in our thoughts and prayers.
The Pontifical North American College, Class of 2014, wishes to send their prayers to the Murphy family. The Class said a rosary on behalf of Mr. Michael Murphy on 27 MAR 2011.
Sandi, Mary, and Family:
Was saddend to hear of Mike’s passing. Sandi, you told me a lot of good things about him.
May his memory be a blessing to all who mourn.
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Our sympathy to you, Mary & your children. Mike was such a nice man. I know you will miss him everyday.
God Bless you.
Del & Beth Dake
Mary,
May God’s warm embrace comfort you and your family.
With Sincere Sympathy,
Vesna
Sandi,Mary,John,and Mark:
I am deeply sorry about your dad/husband. You’re in our prayers and in our hearts.
What a wonderful man heaven has gained.
With love,
Heather & Dave Atwater
Dear Mary, Sandi, John, & Mark,
Please know you are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. One of my fondest memories of Mike was when I attended the D.C. Taylor/Taylor Associates Christmas Party back in 1991. I will never forget watching him entertain the crowd and seeing everyone rolling on the floor laughing at his jokes. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand !! It was also great watching the more serious sides of the presentation in which he was thanking and paying respects to those that he lead, and you could tell how much he valued them. It is those great memories that all who knew Mike have, and the far-reaching effects of his influence as a mentor, that Mike will be rememberd by.
Unfortunately, I will be in Des Moines during Mike’s funeral, but will plan on paying my respects on Wednesday evening.
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Your family is in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
Love,
Bill & Stacy
and family
Mary, Sandi, John and Mark,
Sorry for your loss. Mike was a kind, caring person who loved his family, football and sales. He had a great sense of humor and loved a good joke; his laugh was contagious (and thinking about it still makes me smile).
We are so sorry we can’t attend his services, as we are in Texas. We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers. May your many memories bring peace to your hearts.
Love,
Jane and Dick
My husband and I would like to convey our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of your beloved Michael. We would like to share with you something that has brought us much comfort at a similar time in our lives. John 11:14-44 shares with us the experience of Jesus resurrecting Lazarus here on earth before the very eyes of those he loved. We can only imagine the tears of joy when we too are reunited with our dear loved ones. (John 5:28,29)Michael will surely be missed by many of those who’s lives he shared, remember the experiences you shared together and learn from them, hold them close to your heart and cherish them. May you find comfort from those who surround you at this very difficult time. Our sincere condolences to all of you.
Mary and family,
Our hearts and prayers go out to you at this time. May the peace of Christ and the love of his Mother Mary be with you.
Blessings,
Lucille & Don Usher
Mary, Sandy, John, and Mark,
My fondest memory as the wife of the coach your children played under, was your offer to give me, (Mary) and our children a ride to the out of town ballgames along with your family. It was just one of the many kindnesses that Mike, and you Mary as well as your children always extended to us. Please know we hold you in our hearts and prayers.
Mary, Sandi, John, and Mark –
My deepest sympathies go out to all of you…though I never met your husband/father, I’m sure he was an awesome man.
You have my prayers and support during this difficult and trying time.
Eternal rest grant unto Mr. Murphy, O God, and let perpetual light shine on him!
May his soul and all the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Mary and family, We are so sorry to hear of Mike’s passing. Dave sincerely enjoyed working with him at D.C. Taylor and always claimed he was one of the smartest guys he’d ever met. And they would go on “break” out to Dave’s pickup and have a cigarette, even though they were both quitting! He was a kind and good man, and we’re sorry for your loss.
I was saddened to hear of Mike’s passing. Although we had lost contact over years, I will always remember working at Magee Construction & playing football at CF High with Mike.
Please accept our deepest sympathy on the passing away of your husband & father. Alan called us Sunday telling us that Mark’s dad had died. Our heart goes out to your entire family but especially to you, Mark, knowing how hard it must have been to receive that call so far from home. God grant him eternal rest & know that you now have someone special waiting for you at heaven’s door.
Mary and family,
Our deepest sympahty goes out to you in the loss of Mike. We will always remember him as a wonderful man that will be dearly missed.
Jim and Jane
Mary and family,
Our deepest sympathy goes out to you in the loss of Mike. We will always remember him as a wonderful man that will be dearly missed.
Jim and Jane
You hsve our Sympathies. He is at Peace now.
Mark,
I was very sorry to learn of your father’s death. Please know your family is in my prayers and all were included in my intentions at our school liturgy this morning. May God’s peace and blessings be with all of you during this difficult time.
Mary I am terribly sorry about your loss. I have fond memories of working with Mike at DCT and relaxing on our earlier Florida trips.
God Bless, Bruce
Mary, Sandy, John, and Mark —
I am so sorry for the loss of Mike. May you find peace in knowing that he is in a better place now. Also, may you always remember him as the kind and loving husband and father that he was.
My deepest sympathies,
Brent
Mary and Family,
We were so sorry to hear of the passing away of your beloved Mike. We know that he sits with our blessed Lord surrounded by the beauty of heaven. He was truly blessed with a wonderful family and he was truly a blessing to many, many people! You are in our thoughts and prayers. May our good Lord give you peace and strength in the days ahead.
Love,
CJ, Sheila and Kayley
To Sandi and her family,
You are in my thoughts and prayers.
I’m very sorry for your loss. My condolences to the whole family. You were great friends to our family while we were attending St. Joseph’s together with John and Sandy.
May Mike enjoy the peace of God’s kingdom and your family be comforted with God’s love in your time of sorrow.
I am sure that you won’t remember me but I used to be the Social Worker at Windsor in Cedar Falls while Mike was there. He was always VERY busy but still had a wonderful way of putting a smile on your face no matter what was going wrong. I am very sorry for the loss that you and your family has suffered not only with his loss but also his illness. May God bless you and give you comfort.
Kristi Lindaman-Barnett
Hi Mary – just got back from Cedar Falls and heard about Mike. I am so very sorry for your loss. Mike and I were very good friends in our high school years but due to time and distance did not see each other. I do remember the great times we had together and considered him a true friend. I also remember you. Mike always asked me “what do you think about Mary”. He idiolizd you. Gods grace on you and Mike!!!
sorry to hear about the loss of your husband Mary. I didn’t know as i do not get a paper. may God watch over you and the family and bless. take care, shirley