William “Bill” Clarke Murphy passed away peacefully on the evening of August 16, 2022, surrounded by family. Bill was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He was born in Waco, Texas, on June 28, 1949, and his family moved to Dallas in 1962. While at Highland Park High School, Bill excelled both academically and as an athlete. He played tennis and baseball on the high school teams and basketball for his championship church team ,but found a passion for the sport of soccer, a relatively obscure sport at the time.
After high school, Bill attended Southern Methodist University, graduating with a BBA in Accounting in 1971 and an MBA in Finance in 1973, where he received the R.H. Stewart Scholarship, the Sol Dreyfuss Humanitarian Award and was elected to the business honorary society of Beta Gamma Sigma. During this time, he also maintained his reputation as an elite athlete. As an active member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, he played in every intramural sport, was a member of the inaugural SMU soccer team, the Dallas Tornado second team and spent his weekends during graduate school flying to Cincinnati to play professional soccer for the Cincinnati Comets.
Bill started his business career at the Howard Corporation, an affiliate of Republic National Bank in Dallas. At the age of 28 he became the youngest bank president in Dallas at Wynnewood Bank. Over the following 40+ years, he successfully ran more than ten banks and became one of the top community banking executives in the city of Dallas. With his uncanny ability to evaluate business deals, he gained a following of investors that enjoyed many successful bank ventures with Bill at the helm. His reputation was one of brilliance, honesty, loyalty and a work ethic beyond compare. But the most important person he met during his banking career was his wife, Linda, who worked alongside him at Bank of Texas.
Bill loved his family, especially his five grandchildren who lovingly know him as “Pops”. He also loved golfing with his lifelong friends. He was a member of Dallas Country Club, Preston Trail Golf Club, The Vintage Club, Saint Michael and All Angels Church, a former member of Northwood Country Club and former President of Lakewood Country Club. In addition to multiple business related boards, he also served on the board of Highland Park Young Life, the SMU Sustentation Drive, the Finance Committee of the City of University Park and the Facilities and Finance Committees of the Highland Park Independent School District.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Betty and James Murphy. He is survived by his wife, Linda Kay Murphy, his son Scott and wife Roz and their children Ava and Daisy, his daughter Angie Lima and husband Rick and their children Lucas, Caleb and Juliet, his sister Elise, brother James and sister Marynell.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, August 26, 2022, at Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church (8011 Douglas Ave., Dallas, TX ,75225), followed by a reception at Park City Club (5956 Sherry Lane, 17th Floor).
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