Milwaukee native, Thomas Hugh Murphy, passed away peacefully, age 92, in Findlay Ohio.  

Preceded in death were his parents, Ellis James & Catherine Doolan; brothers, Jon & James Murphy; son, Dennis Murphy; First wife, Rita "Reets" Murphy; brothers-in-law Norbert Singer & Terry Dallman; sister-in-law, Karen Murphy; nephew, David Murphy; cousin; Melanie Doolan Pryor, and Inlaws Tom & Bette Wells.

Tom is survived by wife, Bette Jo Hammer-Murphy; daughters, Kathleen (Jeff) Schoo & Amy (Peter) Bigelow; Daughter-in-law, Judith (nee Gahn) Murphy; grandchildren, Christopher (Christina) and Joseph (Veronica), Monica & Sarah Murphy; Stepchildren Nicki Reed & Brent (Steph) Wells; Inlaws Tom (Kathy) Wells; Paula Oman; Pam (Marty) Paulus, and Jacki Wunderlin;  friends Rick & Seth.  Further survived by nieces, nephews, great grandchildren, associates, and friends.

The oldest of four, Tom was a proud graduate of both Rufus King highschool and Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  It was at Marquette where Tom met his future bride, Rita Rose Hodous, of Chicago, Illinois.  After graduation Tom & Rita married and settled in Greendale, Wisconsin Wisconsin.  After the arrival of two children, Kate & Dennis, the family moved west to California for Tom's promotion in being an instrumental part of the Aerospace Program of the early 1960s.  It was an exciting time for the Murphy family.  After working at Aerospace for several years, Tom & Rita made the decision to move back to Wisconsin to be closer to their family.  Their last child, Amy was born completing their family of five.  

Tom was a business professional who worked for the Medical College of Wisconsin and Gaarder & Miller, Inc., before branching off to open his own business in the 1980s.  Tom loved researching the stock market, the companies, the trends, the ups & downs.  He was a lifelong student of life, past, present and future.  He was a passionate reader, devouring nonfiction books on philosophy, psychology, biographies,  world wars, and historical fiction.  He had a brilliant curiosity about the world and the people living in it.  He was a member of Toastmasters, where he learned to master the skill of public speaking.  He relished an interesting conversation and the thrill of debate

Tom loved his family.  He was a loving husband and best friend to "Reets" for over 23 years  He was a dependable older brother, to Jon, Jim and Mary.  He enjoyed close relationships with his children at different times in his life.  He was a charming and friendly grandfather, a trustworthy friend, and respected colleague.  Tom met Bette Jo Hammer in the 1990s, his companion before becoming his wife in 2011.  Tom & Bette Jo moved to her hometown in  Findlay, Ohio, to help her family in caring for her parents.  Findlay, wasn't his Milwaukee, but in time, he met some great friends.  The Wells family welcomed Tom into the family where he looked forward to Sunday family meals & interesting discussions.  His loyal and beautiful wife, Bette Jo, a caregiver by nature and witty best friend was with dad on a daily basis at Fox Run Manor in Findlay.  

Tom really enjoyed coming to Milwaukee for brief respites.  He would be gone from early morning for his breakfast groups, meet up with friends, catch a basketball game, VW post for a beer, or reading at any number of libraries.  Tom was proud of Dennis & Judy for raising exceptional children, he was proud of Kate & Jeff for building their hugely successful business, Lake Geneva Spice Company.  He looked forward to some of his favorite home cooked meals at Amy & Peter's. 

When a person dies at 92, it's difficult to grasp the amount of change that person experienced and saw in his life.  He could be an enthusiastic conversationalist and gripping storyteller.  He had an abundance of Spirit Guides, and understood the eastern philosophy of dualism, the yin & yang of life.  He promoted the concept of the "Whelm Clinic" for the underwhelmed & overwhelmed.  He tested the boundaries of love & struggled with conformity of institutions.  Tom lived his life learning his own lessons, forging his own path, sometimes with, sometimes without us.  He will be dearly missed.  

" How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong.  Because some day in life, you'll have been all these. "

~George Washington Carver

The family appreciates all the wonderful caregivers, nurses, doctors, physical therapists at Fox Run Manor 

A Memorial service in celebration of Tom's life will be held at a later date, but announcements will be posted online & on FB.  

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