William Mercer Murphrey

William (Bill) Mercer Murphrey of Longwood, FL, a resident of Seminole County since 1977, died on Thursday, April 28, 2016 at the age of 61. For the last five years of his life he resided at the Cornerstone (now the Palms) of Longwood, an Assisted Living Facility. An engaging personality, who never met a stranger, Bill was interested in politics, religion, music, airplanes, magic, and foreign affairs. A member of the Maitland Presbyterian Church he enjoyed being a Christian Clown and the fellowship it provided. He also attended many meetings of the League of Women Voters of Seminole County, and developed personal friendships with several of its members. Born in Baguio, the Philippines on June 15, 1954 to Ernestine Hobgood Murphrey and Isaac Green Murphrey, a Voice of America employee, Bill moved to Hawaii by the time he was one year old. There he spent his toddler and preschool years, living in Waikiki, then in Naval housing at Barbers Point and finally in two small towns on the northwest side of the island of Oahu. The family moved to Munich, Germany in 1959, where Bill completed kindergarten and first grade at the American School. During most of his life, Bill had an excellent memory. One of his first memories was of his fifth birthday, June 15, 1959, when he accompanied his parents to the airport for his father to take a flight to Berlin. They bought him a cowboy gun and holster set at the airport, which he fondly remembered later. The Berlin Crisis was in progress, and there was a reason for his father going to Berlin that day, but what Bill remembered was that new gun and holster set. In 1961 his family moved to Greenville, North Carolina, his mother’s hometown, where the Voice of America’s main technical facilities were being built. This move gave Bill a chance to see more of his extended family and to make more friends. Bill finished elementary school and began junior high in Greenville, but then he and his parents (his siblings were in college) were transferred to the Greek Island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea. At first, he attended a small, American school on the island. For teenagers there were many things to do: movies outside, nightclubs, the walled city of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem with its narrow streets with tourist shops. There were also food stands and, of course, the beaches, which in the summer were filled with tourists, especially Scandinavians. What he remembered most from Rhodes was the wreck of the American Naval Destroyer, the Bache, and the scared young sailors coming ashore. In the fall of 1969 Bill began high school, this time a boarding school in Ankara, Turkey, and later the boarding students were relocated to Karamursel. Students came to these schools from all over the area, and he developed friendships with people whom he would later reconnect with. He played football and was on the track and wrestling teams, but also enjoyed participating in class musicals. He had local volunteer “sponsors” who were assigned to help boarding students cope with being away from home. One thing he remembered was being taken on trips by his sponsors. One time in particular he noticed that their car was off course, and that they were heading across the Turkish Border into Syria. They did turn back. He also remembered a sports trip to Beirut, where the local CIA Station Chief was his host. Bill later attended school in Athens and moved to Florida in 1973. For many years, Bill kept up with politics—local, state, national, and international-- often calling the offices of politicians and talking with staff. “They’re my elected officials, they work for me,” he was heard to say—and he did provide them with challenging—and interesting requests. One of the things John Mica’s office provided was information on his Ankara High School, and also contact information on the “Overseas Brats” an organization that he thoroughly enjoyed. For several years that organization met yearly in Central Florida and helped Bill connect with others that had had life experiences similar to his own. Bill is preceded in death by his parents, Ernestine and Isaac Murphrey. Surviving him are his sister, Elizabeth Hobgood Murphrey of Altamonte Springs, FL and his brother, Ernest Green Murphrey, of Apex, North Carolina. Five first cousins also survive him as well as their children. The family thanks Bill’s doctors, especially doctors Feibelman and Farooq in the ICU at South Seminole Hospital and Dr. Steve Williams at Florida Hospital Altamonte. Also, the staff at the Palms of Longwood, and the wonderful people at the Maitland Presbyterian Church, including the Care Team that has kept him in their prayers and others who have brought communion to him during the last six years. A memorial service will be held for Bill at the Baldwin-Fairchild East Altamonte Chapel, 994 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs, FL (East Altamonte Drive and Ronald Reagan Boulevard) at 11 a.m. – noon, Tuesday, May 3, 2016.