Bernard 'B.J.' Murphy of St. Johnsbury passed away Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013, at the age of 88.
He was born in St. Johnsbury on March 25, 1925, the son of James and Mary (Cassidy) Murphy. He
was predeceased by his wife Theresa Marguerite (Viens) Murphy on June 28, 2006, and by their
infant son James who would have been the oldest son. BJ was a member of the St. Johnsbury Academy
class of 1943 and always played a big part in their class reunions. After two years in the U.S. Army
during WWII, he was discharged and came back to St. Johnsbury. In 1947 he became the youngest
person ever awarded an Oldsmobile dealership and went on to establish a Chevrolet dealership in 1953.
B.J. founded Murphy Realty in 1953, a company that continues to own key real estate throughout northeastern Vermont and
northern New Hampshire. His coffee groups were daily rituals, whether at
the 10 a.m. coffee group at the Lincoln Inn and later the Comfort Inn, or the 4 p.m.
coffee group at the Miss Lyndonville Diner. His stories, and the
manner in which they became 'B.J.' stories, will always be fondly
remembered. B.J. was an expert skier and passed on his love of skiing to all his sons and grandchildren.
He is survived by three sons: Stephen Murphy of St. Johnsbury, Michael
Murphy of Brattleboro, Peter Murphy and wife Julie of Barnet; six
grandchildren who fondly referred to him as 'Poppo': Danielle Murphy and
husband Mark Daly of Montpelier, Shane Murphy and wife Lisa of St.
Johnsbury, Trevor Murphy and wife Amanda of Scottsdale, Ariz., Whitney
Jewett of North Carolina, Ryan Murphy of Chicago, Ill., Cooper Murphy of
Boulder, Colo.; three great-grandchildren: Cameron, Tristan, and Taylor; a
brother Raymond Murphy of Pittsburg, N.H.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Johnsbury this Saturday, Sept. 28, at 11 a.m
at St. John the Evangelist Church. Friends are invited to then go to
the reception at the Comfort Inn beginning at 12:30 p.m. (concluding
around 3:30 p.m). The family will join the reception after the conclusion of the cemetery service.
Memorial contributions could be directed to either, St. Johnsbury Country
Club (marked for junior golf program), P.O. Box 116, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819;
or marked for Kingdom Kids Ski Program at Burke Mountain, P.O. Box 195, East Burke, VT 05832.
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