Norman Leon Murphy

October 1, 1928.Norman was born to John Edgar and Juanita Rachel (Cawthon) Murphy in Brownfield, Texas, and he was raised in Childress, TX.

Norman cherished everyone he had the pleasure of meeting. No one was a stranger to him. He could always find connections from people he met to someone else he knew in Childress, Texas. Like 6 degrees of Childress! Many times, he would end up knowing more about someone’s family than they did! His roots were very important to him, and was so proud of his heritage, his brothers, and his entire family.

He married Annie Nathalee Allison in 1949, and from this union, came their children, Nita, Debbie, and Tommy.

In 1955 he moved to Colorado Springs, CO. He loved and cherished his many years in Colorado Springs. As an avid outdoorsman, fisherman, hunter, and adventurer, he took advantage of everything the nature of Colorado had to offer, racing motorcycles in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, fishing its many mountain lakes and rivers, snowmobiling at Crested Butte, and driving his vintage Ford Bronco or F-250 Camper to his camping, hunting, and fishing trips.

In 1964, he welcomed a new daughter, and he named her Leah.

On Mother's Day, May 8,1966, Norman married Sheila Mae Gardner. They were blessed with 56 years together, and had two children, Mike and Tammy.

Norman was a member of Pikes Peak Church of Christ, where he was admired and respected as a member of their family. He was a longtime song leader at the church and had his family practice singing the songs with him every week.

A Christian first and foremost, Norman was a kind, generous, and compassionate gentleman. Perfect he was not, but he was saved by grace, and he knew it! He did not always express his love outload, but he loved his family deeply and tried his hardest to honor God in all his relationships. He loved the holidays and insisted on always having Christmas at his house.

Norman worked for Doenges-Long and Phil Long Ford as an automobile and truck salesman for 32 years. Norman was ambitious and driven to achieve, yet not willing to compromise his integrity to get ahead. He had a genuine desire to know and develop long-term relationships with his customers. Like everyone else he met, they became friends for life, and everyone always got a Christmas card. That spirit, and his established follow-up methods made him a natural salesman, and he earned local and national acclaim from Ford Motor Company.

Hard work was his pride, and he set that same work ethic expectation of his children, grandchildren, and others. He was proud of his achievements that afforded him the ability to retire early in life when health conditions demanded it.

He continued his adventures into retirement and had a clear and established routine. You learned to not to try to get him to go fishing on a Wednesday! A man of amazing memory and recall, he loved to visit and share stories of life on the farm during the Great Depression. He loved to play games, especially 42 dominoes, Sequence and croquet. He set the rules of the game - and reset them whenever it was to his advantage. He especially loved to win and could be a real sore loser. But his smile and grin were contagious, and he tried to find humor in every situation.

In closing, Norman Leon Murphy’s faith was the center of his life. His thirst for knowing Christ was the most important value he had. He valued his family beyond measure. His children and grandchildren are his biggest treasures. His brothers were his closest and best friends. He loved all his friends and enjoyed the time they took to visit him. He missed his Sheila deeply and was very ready to be with her again.

In his own words, Norman “did so much more than just take up space on this earth,” and it is true that and his being here influenced and touched many hearts and souls. He leaves us all lonely for one last look at that smile and those baby blues, one last game, one last fishing trip, one last hymn, and one last hug.

Norman is preceded by his mother and father John Edgar and Juanita Rachel (Cawthon) Murphy, his loving wife of 56 years Sheila Mae Gardner; brothers, James (Jim) Murphy of Texas, and Jack Murphy of CO; his children, Miriam Juanita Petersen of Oklahoma and Thomas Leon Murphy of CO; and his grandchildren, Brian Thomas Murphy of CO, Cody Leon Rhein of CO, and Sandra Anne Reed- Gatsos of OK.

He leaves his son Michael Brian Murphy (Brandy) of CO, his daughters, Deborah Anne Murphy of CO, Leah Kay Slaton of TX, and Tamara Marie (Murphy) Hargett (Aaron)of TX. 18 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, and 17 great-great grandchildren.

Norman’s Celebration of Life service will be held 11:00 am, Saturday, May 14, 2024, at Pikes Peak Church of Christ, 1402 West Pikes Peak Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80904.

Norman will be laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery, 1005 Hancock Expressway, Colorado Springs, CO 80903.