Ronald Gordon Murphy

Ronald Gordon Murphy, known to his friends and family as Ronnie, met the love of his life, Kelly Kent, in the first grade at Allenbrook Elementary School. At the time, they were simply friends, along with the gang of semi-feral children that ran the streets of the Westchester neighborhood in the 1970s.

Ronnie and Kelly reconnected on Facebook many years later. One fateful day in 2013, Kelly posted a picture of herself in a Wonder Woman costume. In a recent Facebook post, he wrote that this picture changed his life forever. He fell in love with her right then and decided to ask her out. As their relationship grew, Ronnie quickly became a father figure for Kelly’s sons, Christian and Caden. The couple and the boys eventually became a family just over a year later, when Ronnie and Kelly were married in a small ceremony with close family and friends.

Ronnie became involved in the Boy Scouts of America, assisting with Christian’s troop and Caden’s pack, later helping Caden transition to the troop. Later, he became the troop’s quartermaster, then assistant scout master, and finally scout master. During his time with the Boy Scouts, Ronnie helped Christian, Caden, and numerous other young men earn their Eagle Scout ranks.

Ronnie was an auto mechanic by trade, but his favorite pastime was cheering on his favorite sports teams, the Carolina Panthers and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and was frequently found at home watching professional wrestling. In his spare time, Ronnie loved to display his affection for his wife, family, and stepsons on social media.

Ronnie was born on September 7, 1969, and passed away at home on February 27, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Kelly Kent Murphy; his stepsons, Christian and Caden Taylor; his grandchildren, Starlah Vaughn and Bradley, Alayna, Paisley, and Reagan Corlew; his siblings, Shelby Hobbs (Justin), Chris Winemiller (Jodie), and James Johnson; a large extended family including various nieces and nephews; his aunt, Susie Blanton (Ronnie); his stepfather David “Pops” Lowery, who was Ronnie’s sole father figure; and best friend, Deric Townsend (Kathleen Brice). He is preceded in death by his daughter, Samantha Marie Murphy Corlew; his mother, Phyllis Lowery; and his grandmother, Donnie Austin Murphy.

The visitation will be held at Forest Lawn West at 4601 Freedom Drive in Charlotte on Sunday, March 5, at 3:00 p.m. with a memorial service following at 4:00 p.m. His ashes will be interred at the Hickam Cove–Kent Family Cemetery in Spring Creek, North Carolina, at a later date and time to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite charity.