Thomas William Murphy

Thomas (Tom) W. Murphy passed from this life peacefully on Wednesday afternoon, November 8th. Born June 1, 1934, he grew up in Abington and Brockton. Tom and his 3 older siblings, James, Eleanor (m. Cadres), and Mary (m. Forti), suffered the great loss of their mother, Bernice Salin, when Tom was just 2 years old. Tom’s father, Thomas G. Murphy, remarried Madeline Tobin and had two more children, Janet (m. Finch) and Gloria (m. Cordaro). Tom and his older siblings had strong ties to each other for all their lives. Tom loved to spend time with friends and family; summer backyard cookouts, Thanksgiving, and Super bowl Sunday were some of his favorite occasions.

Tom was set to drop out of school when he was 16, but a teacher convinced him to stay, and he was a proud member of the class of 1953 at BHS. He appreciated how lucky he was to graduate from high school. Not knowing what to do next, he enlisted in the Army with 2 lifelong friends, Walter Brady and Bobby McDonald. He served for 2 years in the occupation forces in Germany. Though his service was not long, it was formative for him and he was very proud of it. Still not sure of his direction, he began a job at the VA Hospital in Brockton as a Psychiatric Aide where his luck continued. A motherly coworker encouraged him to take advantage of the GI Bill and go to college, and he completed a 2-year degree at Burdett Business College. Tom moved on from the VA to work at Boston Safe Deposit company and then at South Shore Bank, where he managed several branches. He took early retirement from his bank position and became a licensed realtor.

At the Brockton VA Hospital he met Lucille Ares, a pretty and fun-loving nurse. They married in 1960 and raised their 4 daughters in Brockton. A son, Thomas, died shortly after birth. This loss, along with the responsibility of raising and supporting a young family, was challenging. No matter the challenges, Tom loved his family and when all else was coming apart, the love was there.

Tom started jogging in his forties, and he also enjoyed bicycling, and walking. In retirement Tom and Lucille moved to Cape Cod, living first in Yarmouth and then in Sandwich. Tom enjoyed a cold Miller Light while watching the Patriots, bicycling on bike paths, running in the Falmouth Road Race, and in his later years, daily walks along the canal, keeping track of his mileage and setting monthly and yearly goals! Tom’s daily routine in Sandwich included stops at Dunkin for coffee and sometimes a jelly donut, and Stop and Shop or the Sandwich Food Store for scratch tickets. He counted the owners and employees of those stores as his friends. He wanted to win a million bucks, but his luck didn’t extend to that realm.

Tom was grateful for his lucky and long life, though he really wanted it to be longer. The physical decline in his last year was steep, but he never lost his energy for life. He leaves his loving wife of 63 years, Lucille, his daughters Sheila (John Saveson) of Northampton, MA, Maureen (Don Ross) of Richmond, CA, Kathy (Allen Pipkin) of South Portland, ME and Jackie (Paul Kirchhoff) of Virginia Beach, his grandchildren, Max and Kaeli Kirchhoff, Abi and Russell Pipkin, Sophia and Chloe Ross, Gretchen and Eben Saveson, many nieces and nephews, brother in-law law and sisters in-law, Paul, Claire, Elaine, and Mary Ares, his Aunt Lillian Salin (m. Jolicoeur, m. Murphy), his cousins Louise (m. Devaney) and Winnifred Murphy, and his lifelong friends, Richard Lombardi and Bill Kelliher. He was predeceased by his parents, siblings, infant son, and many good friends.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend his funeral service at 11 a.m. at the Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home 40 MacArthur Blvd., Bourne. Visitation prior to service 10 - 11 a.m. Burial at 12:30 pm at the Massachusetts National Cemetery Bourne.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.nickersonbourne.com for the Murphy family.