Jim worked for me for a period of time at Michigan State. He was a fantastic employee. Very dedicated and great programmer. He was great with customers and was a great team player and was loved by everyone that worked with him.

He will continue to be greatly missed.

I dated Jim in high school at Sacred Heart HS.
He was one of the funniest people in the entire class.

                    A Celebration of Life 
                         for Jim Murphy

Sat 14 Aug 2021  1 -5 pm
University Club of MSU
   3435 Forest Road    •    Lansing MI 48910    •    Phone: 517-353-5111
The Ballroom (on the lower level)

Please join with Jim’s family, friends and colleagues to celebrate and remember his life. 

As of this time, late April, gatherings are limited to 25 people or less due to Covid and masks are required. We will do our best to greet and share time with all who come but will encourage people to rotate out to allow others in. Please be prepared to wait some and perhaps exit and wait again so that everyone can attend.
Please share this to any of Jim’s friends and colleagues as I don’t know everyone that he knew.
If I hear that more than 150 may attend, I will attempt to expand the time frame to accommodate more. Please try to let me know if you and others are planning to come. smilesm3@yahoo.com.

If you have pictures you would like to share to the slide show please send them to Matt Ottinger. ottinger60@gmail.com

Thank you,
Mary


Jim and I were together at UM in the Lenny Bruce Cooperative. He had a great smile and manner, He was an excellent baker and everyone in the house would come to the kitchen when Murph was making blonde brownies. When I arrived at MSU, I was pleasantly surprised to run into Jim on the sidewalk. He was a wonderful, gentle soul. I will always remember his long Dr. Who style knitted scarf. Go well, Jim!!

I only met Jim once but we regularly communicated through email.  He was always my go to person for questions and in our interactions, he was always so pleasant and helpful.   I was so sad to hear of his passing, his presence will be dearly missed.  

I think I may be ready to post. Maybe. I met Jim in the fall of 1976, at Lenny Bruce Co-op in Ann Arbor; I believe he was doing his laundry. Or I was doing mine. Laundry was definitely involved. He slowly but surely became one of the only solid, dependable fixtures in my life. We shared a love of the same types of music, books, movies and Dr. Who, though it took many years for him to convert me to Whomania. I still covet his Dr. Scarf. We both loved practical jokes. Blue milk and dying snow on campus come to mind; food coloring was often involved. Hours long late night phone calls and marathon letter writing sessions became the norm. During the black moments when my foundations shattered around me, he was the one rock I could always rely on to help with the rebuild. His loving, calm, devoted nature made him my lifelong touchstone. He and Mary became a safe harbor from the violent storms I often created for myself. Despite not being terribly religious, they graciously consented to be Godparents to my second born. Jim took the job very seriously, and was her deeply adored Godpapa. His frequent visits to her were red letter days. For 44 years and 4 months, he was always there, my very, very best friend. I always thought that, due to my hairbrained, harum-scarum life, I'd be the one to lead the charge into the next plane. I was wrong, and I dread the coming years in a world without him. In our final phone call, the last words we said to each other were "I love you, dear," "I love you too." I always will. I need to stop now, the world has gone hazy; my eyes and my heart hurt.

Such fond memories of Jim and Mary. Jim was such a peaceful, loving, and helpful friend. His no-bake cookies and tea lessons to working in the garden with Jim and Mary both. He will be missed and memories cherished.  Hugs to Mary and the family and friends.

I took ceramics classes at Bailey and the Hannah Center with Jim. He was a wonderful potter, a gentle, kind man, and wicked smart.  He was always helpful to any young potter who needed words of encouragement or a bit of mentoring.  Our clay community is bereft.  My condolences to his family.

I never met Jim, but I emailed and spoke with him on the phone each fall as he assisted me with a project for all incoming students at MSU. Jim was always so thoughtful and so helpful. My sincere condolences to Jim's family.


Jim was a very talented potter and was a part of our East Lansing Dept. of Parks, Rec & Arts program for many, many years.  First at the Bailey Community Center and then later at the Hannah Community Center.  He donated many pieces of art to our program and was well liked by so many.  Peace be with him.

My sincerest condolences to Mary and Jim's entire family.  For a dozen or so years Jim and I worked next to each other in MSU's Computer Center.   Polite, smart, level headed, dependable, even tempered, Jim was so easy to work with.  MSU and I were lucky Jim was there.



I met Jim in January of 1990 when I started at MSU.  I always loved talking to him.  We would chat about everything from Dr. Who to Space Camp to his trip to Alaska to his flowers and cats.  He usually found SOME way to connect with every person he met.

I was shocked to get the news.  Jim and I were (are) a few months apart in age.  I never imagined losing a force of nature like that so unexpectedly.  I will make a donation to CAHS in his honor because I know he loved animals.

Jim was absolutely the best!  I had the pleasure of working with him at MSU for many, many years.  He expertly and efficiently pulled all my student samples for research for so many years. I don't think a kinder person has existed.  My deepest sympathies to your family. You are in my thoughts during this difficult time.

I never met Jim in person but he bailed me out numerous times at the last minute when I needed MSU data reports!  He was so nice, kind and calm.  
I am so sorry for your families loss.  He will leave a huge hole with the MSU community as well.

Warmly,
Shelly Smith
MSU Biological Sciences

Jim was a sweet soul, a very calm presence in a tempest at work.  He always had this calm, comfortable demeanor about him, every time I encountered him on campus.  I honestly can't remember ever seeing him angry or upset.  I don't have any particular specific memories of him that I want to share; only to add my condolences to his loved ones, and assure them that he will be missed by people who knew him in their everyday walk through life.

Jim worked for me for a period of time while he worked at MSU. He was always  very pleasant to work with and always willing to help.  He worked at MSU during many organizational changes over the years and adapted well to changing roles, changing mangers, and cultures.  He  was a great team player and a real asset to MSU by working on programming projects for our unit, and special projects to assist faculty members. He will be sorely missed. 

I remember waiting on the front porch for the very MOMENT he showed up when I found out he was visiting all the way into my teens so I wouldn't miss a minute with him.  He put my first canvas in my hands and introduced me to theater, even though he didn't make his own foray into it until much later.  I remember his cooking and his cookies, and that he somehow made the mundane special. I'm going to miss knowing that he's in the world.... some people are just pure magic, and he was one of those people. 

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

James "Jim" P. Murphy

Décédé(e) le 19 JANVIER 2021

Gorsline Runciman Tiffany Chapel

Montrez votre soutien

Envoyez Vos
Condoléances

Partager
L'avis De Décès

Obtenir les mises à jour

Prestations de Service