U.S. Army Retired Lt. Col. Edward Jerome Murphy Jr., 76, of Seven Lakes, passed Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, at the FirstHealth Hospice House, in Pinehurst.
A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 8, at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, in Pinehurst, with the Rev. Edward J. Burch officiating. Rite of committal will be held at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery, with full military honors.
Mr. Murphy was born Dec. 27, 1936, in Baltimore, to the late Edward Jerome Murphy Sr. and Elizabeth Ann (O’Connor) Murphy. He served his country in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
After graduating from Loyola College in Baltimore, Mr. Murphy was commissioned in the Army in 1958 and served for 20 years. He was honorably discharged at the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1978 at Fort Myer, Va. He then went on to teach Junior ROTC at Treadwell High School in Memphis, Tenn., and Calvin Coolidge High School in the District of Colombia.
After retiring as a JROTC instructor, Mr. Murphy moved to Seven Lakes, where he was a member of the Beacon Ridge Golf and Country Club and also worked part time at the Pinehurst Resort.
He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Patricia (Repine) Murphy; two sons, Edward J. Murphy III and wife, Dianne, of Leesburg, Va., and Timothy P. Murphy and wife, Kathy, of The Woodlands, Texas; a stepson, Kevin Kennedy, of Lorton, Va.; a stepdaughter, Colleen Kennedy and husband, James Cunningham, of Lorton, Va.; a brother, James F. Murphy, of Seattle; five grandchildren, Kaitlin Murphy, Nichole Murphy, Edward J. Murphy IV. Matthew Murphy and Jordan Murphy; and two step-grandchildren, Warrant Officer Mark Miller and Capt. Matthew Miller.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to FirstHealth Hospice and Palliative Care, 150 Applecross Road, Pinehurst NC 28374. Online condolences can be made at www.bolesfuneralhome.com.
Boles Funeral Home of Seven Lakes is serving the family.