Dean Franklin Murphy

He was born December 30, 1959, in Gulfport, Mississippi to Robert Thomas and Mary Louise Murphy of Maryland. He spent his childhood in New York and later moved to Jamestown, North Carolina where he attended Ragsdale High School, played soccer and graduated class salutatorian. He went on to receive his undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill but always was a Demon Deacon through and through.

He married Lisa Gelston in 1988 and settled in Cary where they raised their two children, Georgeanna and Maxx. He established a successful law and CPA practice, balancing his professional life with his love for family and community.

He was a loving dad to his daughter Georgeanna and son Maxx for who he often coached and always cheered them on in their sports teams growing up. Dean’s children were the center of his universe and his love and pride of them was clear whenever you talked with him.

He was an avid golfer and tennis player and a proud member of the Lochmere tennis team. Dean loved watching and playing sports, particularly basketball in the early morning hours at the Cary YMCA. If there was a competitive game in any sport, Dean wanted to be a part of it. He volunteered for the Y throughout his adult life. His favorite time of the year was serving as chairperson for the annual YMCA Golf Marathon where he helped raise significant funds for the Y and got to reconnect with so many longtime friends.

Dean is survived by his wife, Lisa, daughter Georgeanna and son Maxx (fiancée Jacey Monahan), his large, loving extended family, his lifelong Demon Deacon buddies, his Cary YMCA community, his Lochmere tennis team, and countless other lives he positively impacted. Dean’s genuine spirit, generosity, and kindness will be missed by everyone who knew him.

A celebration of his life will be held at Brown Wynne Funeral Home at 200 SE Maynard Rd in Cary, North Carolina on Wednesday, September 4, at 5:00 PM. The family will receive friends after the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cary YMCA https://www.ymcatriangle.org/donation-options Memorial tributes and messages of sympathy can be left by clicking the "Add a Memory" box below. Brown Wynne of Cary is honored to serve the Murphy family.