James Dominic Murphy

James D. Murphy (92) of Dallas, Texas, passed away on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025. He was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended Little Flower Catholic grade school where, as a third grader, he met his beloved wife of 69 years, Rosemary Hayes. He graduated from St. Joseph's Preparatory High School, and earned a B.S in marketing from Holy Cross College in 1955, where he was active in the Air Force ROTC and lacrosse. After his honorable service in the Air Force, Jim worked in the airline industry, commuting from Philadelphia to New York City for twenty years. American Airlines moved the Murphy family to Dallas in 1979.

Jim always sought to improve himself. Physically, he quit smoking and took up running in his mid-40s, proudly participating in numerous races, including the New York Marathon, and he continued daily exercise the rest of his life. Jim was a self-taught skier and sailor, and a determined golfer (including making a hole-in-one at his home away from home, Sherrill Park). Intellectually, he read widely, subscribed to Foreign Affairs and loved a good debate on any subject. Spiritually and socially, he was active in All Saints Catholic Church and various charitable causes. Jim was also very committed to education - of his children, his grandchildren and himself. He enjoyed the challenges of learning Spanish, reading historical works from a variety of time periods, and teaching his children the finer points of using rope, trash bags and duct tape for solving problems. He loved the ocean and enjoyed watching pelicans at sunset on the beach. He was a man of great love, laughter, wisdom and faith.

He is survived by his wife, Rosemary; five children and their spouses, Jim, Kathy, Paul (Lucia), Tom (Margot), and Ted; eight grandchildren and their spouses, Sean, Chris (Lisa), Mike, Mary (Becket), Danielle (Beau), Maggie, Andrew (Christina), and Tess; and four great-grandchildren: Stanley, Nina, Peter and Alice.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at All Saints Catholic Church, 5231 Meadowcreek Drive, Dallas, Texas 75248. Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.