Obituary of William P. Murphy, Jr

William P. Murphy, Jr, 74, of Peabody, died Friday evening surrounded by his loving family at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers following a lengthy and courageous battle against Parkinson’s Disease. Born in Peabody, he was the son of the late William P. Murphy, Sr and Katherine Josephine (Moroney) Murphy. He was a lifelong resident of Peabody. Bill worked for the New England Telephone Company for over 25 years and retired at the age of 48. Following his retirement from the telephone company, Bill continued working independently and enjoyed restoring and fixing antique cars and doing odd jobs for family, friends and neighbors. He would arrive at a moment’s notice with his tools ready to help anyone who needed him. Bill cherished his 1954 Chevys, was a member of the North Shore Old Car Club, and enjoyed going to various car shows on the North Shore and beyond. But, nothing made him happier than being with his family, especially his grandchildren. Bill is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, William P. Murphy III and Janet Murphy and their children, Connor and Evan, his daughter and son-law, Shannon and Ray Barnes and their children, Alexandra, Julia, Ray, and Joseph, all of Peabody, his long-time companion, Karen Smith and her children, Larry and Scarlette Smith and Wendy and Steve Thomas and their children, Nicole and Emily. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Cynthia Murphy of Danvers, brother-in-law Christopher Dunn of Beverly Farms and by many nieces, nephews, cousins, dear friends, neighbors, and his beloved dog Casey. He was predeceased by his siblings Timothy Murphy, Susanne Murphy, and Virginia Dunn. His funeral will be held on Friday at 10:00 AM at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn St, Peabody followed by his Funeral Mass at 11:00 AM at St. John’s Church, Peabody to which relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held on Thursday from 4:00 until 8:00 PM. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Salem. Expressions of sympathy can be made in his name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, at www.michaeljfox.org