Thomas I. Murphy Jr.

AUBURN, MAINE. Thomas Ignatius Murphy, Jr., 80, of Auburn, Maine passed away peacefully on Thursday, December 31st surrounded by family. Tom is survived by his children Cynthia Murphy and husband Scott Kloster of Birmingham, Michigan; Tom Murphy III and fiancé Maria Palumbo of Newbury, Massachusetts; Michael Murphy and wife Allison of Redding; Connecticut and Sheila Royston Murphy of Vienna, Virginia. Tom’s beloved grandchildren, Hailey, Connor, Julia, Kathryn, Patrick, Kevin, Maeve, Mackenzie, Gwynnethe and Mark Anthony range in age from 10 to 22. Tom is also survived by his sisters Mary Elizabeth Titus of California, Ann Phillips of New York and Sheila Murphy of New York. He was predeceased by his wife, Nancy Murphy; his son, Peter Murphy; and his brother, Arthur Murphy. Hailing from Great Neck, New York, Tom graduated from Xavier High School, a Jesuit institution in the Chelsea section of New York City before heading to Boston, where he met his future wife, Nancy Butler, and earned his undergraduate degree from Boston College. After college, Tom served as second lieutenant in the US Army and was stationed in Korea. Tom was a life-long entrepreneur – first in New York working side-by-side with his brother Arthur running Murphy’s Moving & Storage, where they frequently were hired by New York’s elite. One of his favorite moving jobs was packing and storing Teddy Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill household goods and hunting trophies, which required great care. Tom moved to Lewiston in 1969 to give his wife and children a more balanced life and he bought Gordon’s Hobby House, which he operated for ten years before opening All Season’s Lawn & Garden in Auburn. A life-long sports enthusiast, he coached his sons in Fly Football; coached and was president of Elliot Avenue Little League; and during his children’s high school and college years, he was an active spectator at their soccer and field hockey games. Tom and Nancy shared a love for gardening and spending time at Taylor Pond. For more than 30 years, Tom was a lector and usher at St. Joseph’s Church in Lewiston, while also serving as a member of the Parish Council. During his retirement years, Tom was a volunteer mediator in the consumer protection division of the State of Maine Office of the Attorney General, became a certified consumer protection arbitrator with the Better Business Bureau, volunteered as a guide for the Audubon Society and served on a crew for the Great Falls Balloon Festival. Visitation will be from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Sunday, January 3rd at Fortin Group, Auburn. Funeral services for Tom will be at St. Philip’s Church, 2365 Turner Road, Auburn, Maine on Monday, January 4th at 11:00 am. Tom will be laid to rest at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lewiston in a private ceremony in the Spring. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Friends of Pettingill School Park www.lewistonmaine.gov/FOPPdonation A service of The Fortin Group/Plummer & Merrill Funeral Home, Cremation & Monument Services 217 Turner Street, Auburn, Maine 783-8545.