Edward Murphy

He was born in Philadelphia and attended Roman Catholic High School, where he found his voice as a leader and became the man his family and friends fondly called "the bull-a-buster". After high school he bounced around for a bit; he worked in his dad’s garage, he served in the Army, he briefly flirted with becoming a priest at a Franciscan seminary, and if the story holds true, ditched Grace Kelly at the Fireman's Ball one night because, it seemed, she was a bore. Edward attended LaSalle College where he was Senior Class President and distinguished himself (or at the very least, earned a reputable notoriety as an elegant dancer and a snappy dresser).

A born salesman, he became regional sales manager for Georgia-Pacific Lumber where he honed his skills. After he learned all there was to know about the business and with sheer tenacity, he started his own company Murphy Plywood. Alone he grew it from a closet in his parent’s house with one truck to a whopping warehouse and a fleet of trucks in Pennsauken, NJ. At 40, he met and married Mary Ann O'Driscoll, his wife and mother of five: Kathleen, Maureen, Doreen, Lizabeth and Edward. It is through their memory that he will live on. Edward was an avid golfer, where he moonlighted as a private instructor on finer points in the art of cursing. He was a member at Torresdale Country Club, Tamarac, JDM, and finally Frenchman's Creek and leaves behind many great friends and a possible tab in the card room.

Besides his five children, he leaves six grandchildren of whom he was inordinately proud. Gabrielle, Connor, Alexander, Jack, Bonnie Mae, and Edward.

Truly, words fail to sum up the whole of the man's life. He was a good friend and a fierce competitor, a loving and generous son, a devoted father, a cherished grandfather, and a formidable patriarch; all that, he was. And he will always be in our hearts.

Friends and family, those who loved him, come join us in celebrating his life and in mourning his passing. Friday 12/30 at 11am at Aycock Funeral Home 1112 Military Trial Jupiter, Fl 33458.