Mr. John "Jl" Murphy

JL is survived by his loving wife of 25 years, Linda Frost Thomas Murphy, son Josh Thomas and daughter-in-law, Allegra Ford Thomas of Waban, MA, his brother, Neil Murphy of Scituate and Lynn Palmiter, sister, Maureen Murphy of Norwell, brother, Thomas Murphy of Scituate and his wife Susan and his sister, Karen Laugelle of Cohasset and her husband Paul. Son of the late Leo and Ethel (Tierney) Murphy of Scituate and brother of the late Helen Ann (Murphy) Wuerth and her husband John of Detroit. He also leaves his mother-in-law Phyllis Frost of Scituate, his in-laws Sally (Frost) McCarthy and Thomas McCarthy of Scituate, James Frost and Marita Boyle of Marshfield, Scott and Carolyn (Holmes) Frost of Naples Florida, Daniel and Lesley (Ross) Frost of Bear, Delaware as well as 25 nieces and nephews and many great nieces and nephews who all loved him and will miss him dearly.

JL was a lifelong resident of Scituate. He worked as a carpenter building and remodeling homes for old friends and new. He coached in the Little League Baseball Program and High School Varsity Baseball program as well as other sports for 50 years. He loved coaching and sharing his love of the game with the young players along with his technical knowledge of the game. He often told the players “Be calm, take a deep breath and have fun!” JL also helped to run a basketball program at the middle school for 30 years. He was a founding member of the Scituate Recreation Commission and Friends of Scituate Recreation.

JL played on Men’s League Baseball teams for 35 years until 2019. He could often be seen working on the fields to make them perfect. He took great pride in keeping the fields safe and beautiful for teams, both young and not-so-young.

In 2015 JL was awarded The Mr. “C” Scituate Recreation Community Spirit Award. The award states, in part, “Everyone wanted to be on his team and all the youth he guided throughout the years remember him fondly”. He received three standing ovations at a dinner in his honor and a Commendation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

He loved music and went to Woodstock. He and Linda went to many concerts together. Every summer he would take his nephews to the Music Circus. He liked walking his dog, coffee at the local store with his friends, going to Pats games with Josh, and vacations in Vermont with Linda. His son Josh says of him, “He laughed a lot and loved life and leaves behind a legacy of joy for those who knew him.”

A visitation will take place on Friday, October 16 from 4-8 PM at Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home, 382 First Parish Road, Scituate. Due to the pandemic, the building capacity is limited and guests may expect a waiting period before entering the building. A graveside funeral service will be held Saturday, October 17 at 11 AM at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Scituate. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Masks and social distancing are required.

In lieu of flowers please donate to The Friends of Scituate Recreation or to Alzheimer’s Research.

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