Thomas Jerome Murphy

Tom was born into a large Irish Catholic family on October 28, 1939, in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in the suburb of Euclid. He often recounted his childhood in the projects as bittersweet and was the rare personification of a Horatio Algers “rags-to-riches” story. He worked hard, educated himself, and achieved great success in his lifetime. Early on, he briefly considered going into the priesthood, but he decided to move to New York City to make his way. He graduated from Pace University with a degree in accounting and, during his time there, met the love of his life, Barbara Iaconetti. They married on June 13, 1964, and started their family in Brooklyn, New York. When their children were ages one and three, the family relocated to the Greater Tampa, Florida area, where he began a fruitful and decades-long career as a real estate developer. Many neighborhoods, restaurants, strip malls, and buildings in Tampa can be attributed to deals that Tom negotiated. He was famous for taking the family on Sunday drives to tour all of the projects he was working on, much to the chagrin of his children. He was known for saying that he “didn’t work” because he loved his career and enjoyed the people he met and the friends he made along the way. One of Tom’s proudest contributions to his community was his work as a member of the Florida State Board of Community Colleges, where he later served as Chairman of the Board from 1989-1990.

He and his wife enjoyed travel, especially as it related to family and friends. They would jump at the chance to visit someone in Madrid, Kyoto, Boston, or Jacksonville if it meant spending time with people they enjoyed. When their grandchildren arrived, they made it a point to be involved in their lives. Tom loved following sports, was active at his gym, and attended Grace Lutheran in his later years. He continued to work on real estate deals part-time until his early 80s when he slowed down due to Lewy Body Disease. It was his deepest desire to live out his final years in the home in Carrollwood that he shared with his dearly departed wife, Barbara, who predeceased him in 2016.

Tom is survived by his son, Michael “Mick” Murphy, and wife, Rhonda of Pennsylvania; daughter, Lisa Kennedy, and husband, Séamus of New York; and grandchildren, Tess Murphy, Elise Murphy, Aisling Kennedy, and Joseph Kennedy. He is also survived by a large extended family, who will miss seeing him at family reunions.

The family wishes to express their gratitude to his caregivers, his Pastor and neighbor John Hillmer and wife Jan, and brother and sister-in-law Richard and Liz Iaconetti for their loving care and attention.

A gathering of family and friends will be held Friday, January 5, 2024, 3:00 pm-4:00 pm, followed by a celebration of life 4:00 pm-5:00 pm at Blount and Curry Funeral Home Carrollwood, 3207 W. Bearrs Avenue, Tampa, Florida. All are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Thomas J. Murphy can be made to Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.