Joseph ""Joe William Murphy

Joseph William “Joe” Murphy, 95, of Greeley, passed away on February 24, 2017 at his Greeley home. He was born on December 7, 1921 in Sedalia, MO to Joseph W. and Margaret L. (Donahue) Murphy. He was the oldest of their fourteen children.

Mr. Murphy attended schools in Kansas City, MO and graduated from Rockhurst High School in 1939. He played semi-professional baseball until he was called to serve in the United States Army during WWII. Between 1942-1945, he spent 33 months as a Master Sergeant in the 843rd Engineering Aviation Battalion, in England, France and Germany. He fought in the Battle of the Rhineland, and was among the forces that liberated Dachau Concentration Camp. For his bravery in the European Theater, Mr. Murphy was awarded three Bronze Star Medals.

After the war, Mr. Murphy attended the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he played on the varsity baseball team and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He also met his future wife, Jacqueline (“Jackie”) Dunn, during his tenure at C.U. They both graduated with degrees in business administration in the summer of 1949. On August 13, 1949, Joe married Jackie in Amarillo, TX. They were married for 49 years, and were blessed with eight children. During their life together, they dedicated their lives to making Greeley a better place to live and raise their family.

After their marriage, Joe and Jackie moved to Greeley, where Mr. Murphy began his lifelong career as a realtor with Welsh and Associates Realty, Inc. He eventually became the owner and president of Welsh and Associates. During his career, Joe held a wide range of leadership positions on all levels of the REALTOR organization-local, state and national. In 1971, and again in 1990, Joe was named Realtor of the Year by the Greeley Board of Realtors. In 1979, Joe was named Realtor of the Year by the Colorado Association of Realtors. He and Jackie enjoyed traveling to both the Colorado and the National Association of Realtors Conventions every year.

Throughout his lifetime, Joe worked diligently to promote and expand Legion-Elks baseball in northern Colorado. In 1978, he was inducted into the Weld County Grand Old Game Hall of Fame after serving on the Legion-Elks Baseball Committee for many years. Joe also served on the committee which secured Butch Butler Field for Greeley, and was the director of the American Legion State Baseball Tournament for 10 years. He and his close friend, Pete D’Amato, hosted countless annual spaghetti dinner fundraisers to make baseball a reality for interested Greeley youth. In 1996, Joe was awarded the Bill Dressor Memorial Award by the Friends of Baseball for his outstanding service to the game. In 1999, Mr. Murphy was also inducted as a University of Colorado “Living Legend” (Baseball, 1947) for outstanding lifetime achievement.

Joe was an avid reader and critical thinker. He was actively engaged in state and local politics, serving as the Ward I Greeley City Councilman from 1974-1981. Joe was an unwavering American patriot, who believed involvement in the political process was his civic duty. He was incredibly proud of his Irish American heritage, and instilled the values of loyalty, perseverance, and service to others in his children and grandchildren. He strongly believed in the importance of giving back to his community.

Mr. Murphy was actively engaged in many organizations during his lifetime. These included: St. Peter and St. Mary Catholic Churches, The American Legion Post 18 (over 60 years), The Knights of Columbus Council #2160 (over 60 years), The Greeley Country Club, The Greeley Rotary Club, The Elks Lodge, The Greeley Chamber of Commerce, Union Colony Investors, The Greeley Board of Realtors, The C.U. Alumnae organization, and the local Sigma Alpha Epsilon Alumnae Chapter. He was also an avid supporter of Greeley Central High School athletics, University of Colorado athletics, American Legion Baseball, and the Denver Broncos, the Colorado Rockies and the Kansas City Royals professional sports teams. Joe also loved our beautiful Rocky Mountains, and was an avid hunter, fisherman and camper.

Mr. Murphy is survived by five daughters; Kathleen Jeffers of Hudson, Ohio, Sheila A. Adamson (James) of Greeley, Mary C. Lauer (A.J) of South Jordan, UT, Susan E. Evans (David) of Essex, MD, and Rebecca L. Brown (Hal) of Littleton; three sons, Joseph W. Murphy (JoAnne) and Robert E. Murphy (Jennifer Cottingham) both of Greeley, and Michael P. Murphy (Valerie) of Fruitland, MD; his 22 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by one brother, Jerry Murphy (Patricia), five sisters; Julia Knipper, Dodie Murphy, Brigid Murphy, Rita Lechtenberg (Jerry), and Cookie Murphy Hurley, one sister-in-law, Lisa Murphy, and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Jacqueline, his parents, four sisters and three brothers, and a son-in-law.

Visitation will be from 5:00-7:00 PM, followed by the recitation of the rosary at Allnutt Funeral Service in Greeley on Monday, March 6, 2016. Mass of Christian Burial will be at Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at 10:00 AM at St. Mary Catholic Church, 2222 23rd Ave., Greeley. Interment will follow at Linn Grove Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint Mary Catholic Education Foundation in Joseph Murphy’s name in care of Allnutt Funeral Service, 702 13th Street, Greeley, CO 80631. Friends and family may visit www.allnutt.com to leave condolences.