Frank W. Murphy Jr.

Nashville, TN

He Was Loved By Many.

Frank W. Murphy Jr. "Merf" passed away on the 28th of November 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee at age 69. Frank Murphy was born in Princeton, Indiana on the 24th of November 1944 to Frank W. "Pat" Murphy and Rosalie Davis Murphy. He moved to Tulsa in 1945 as his father grew his company, Frank W. Murphy Manufacturing.

He was a graduate of Edison High School in 1963 and the University of Tulsa with a Bachelors of Science in Engineering Mathematics in 1967. In 1976, he became Chairman and CEO of FW Murphy Manufacturing. As an inventor, he held many patents and was a member of Sigma Pi Sigma, a physics honor society, and was inducted into the University of Tulsa's Engineering and Natural Sciences Hall of Fame in 1997.

He supported many charities and educational organizations with a focus on youth baseball and engineering education. He served as a trustee for the University of Tulsa, member of the President's Council, the Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board, and established the Frank W. Murphy Distinguished Professorship in Mechanical Engineering. He was an avid golfer and active member of Southern Hills Country Club.

In 2011, he moved to Nashville to further pursue his life-long passion of music and songwriting. In the summer of 2013, "Merf" landed 8 songs, 2 of which, he co-wrote on Gary Chapman's new album, "The Truth." It was his goal and passion to touch people's hearts throughout his whole life, whether in the manufacturing business, the music business, or just on the golf course. He always had something special to offer those in need.

His parents and his sister, Joyce Jackson, precede him in death. He is survived by his wife and love of his life, Fiordaliza Gonzalez de Murphy, one sister Patricia Hudson of Oklahoma City, three children; Alicia Detter of Broken Arrow, Frank Murphy of Tulsa, and Phillip Murphy of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, eight grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.

A memorial and life Celebration service will be held at Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral home in Nashville on Saturday, the 7th of December 2013 at two-thirty in the afternoon and guests are invited to arrive one hour prior for a catered reception followed by the memorial service in Woodlawn's Dignity Hall.