James "Murf" Murphy

James "Murf" Murphy fell asleep in death on December 22, 2022 in Show Low, AZ. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Gail Murphy, his two sons Sean Murphy and Lawson Murphy, and their wives Megan and Andrea.

He was born January 22, 1952 to Harry and Mary Murphy of Providence, RI. His parents began studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses when he was four years old, and they were all baptized together on July 19, 1968 at the "Good News for all Nations” District Convention, when Jim was sixteen years old.

After learning the truth about God and his purposes for mankind, he was motivated to serve Jehovah wholeheartedly. He served as a regular pioneer for one year, then beginning in April 1971 he spent nearly nine years as a full-time minister in Brooklyn, NY, working at Bethel. He first worked sewing and binding books in the Bindery, then in Shipping and Export Shipping, before finally serving in Invoicing.

He met Gail Eagan in 1978 and they were married June 2, 1979. Both of them were privileged to work at Bethel together for a few months, until they had the first big surprise of their marriage, Sean. Their second big surprise, Lawson, came in 1991. In 1992, Jim’s parents were killed in an auto accident while living in North Carolina.

Shortly afterward, the Murphys purchased a camper to enable the whole family to travel freely to theocratic construction sites for the next eleven years. For three of those eleven years they were building the Salisbury Assembly Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Salisbury, NC, and the family spent three out of every four weekends at the construction site.

During his time in North Carolina and Colorado, Jim volunteered on over 200 theocratic projects. He served as a Regional Building Committee overseer in stage construction, and volunteered in disaster relief. He also did sign painting at conventions and computer-aided drafting (CAD) for other theocratic projects.

Jim and Gail made it a goal throughout their life to serve where the need was greater. Their first move after Bethel was to Concord, NH, where Gail had pioneered before their marriage. They stayed two and a half years, then Jim moved his family to Clayton, NC in 1982, Monte Vista, CO from 2003-2009, Mount Vernon, KY from 2009-2010, then to Pensacola, FL from 2010-2011, followed closely by Alto Boquete, Panama from 2011-2014, and Show Low, AZ from 2014 on, where he stayed until his death.

That the Bible influenced every aspect of Jim’s life is evidenced by his family life. He and Gail raised two sons to love Jehovah, be spiritual examples to their families, and work hard in their congregations.

Knowing that he always gave his best to his loving heavenly father gave Jim much joy and satisfaction. His family now looks forward to seeing him again in the earthly paradise promised in the Bible. (Matthew 5:5; Acts 24:15; Revelation 21:3,4)