John Melchior Murphy

John passed away suddenly on Nov. 21st in Highland, CA. John, a San Francisco Native, was raised in San Bruno by his loving parents, James and Catherine Murphy. He is survived by his beloved son Kyle and proud siblings Cathy Fama (Joe), Anne Murphy R.S.M. and Jim (Linda-deceased); nephews Chris and Dan (Stephanie); and great nephews Ryan and Marty and his treasured partner, Maria Lopez. A proud Serra H.S. alum, John went on to Skyline College and received his Bachelor’s Degree from SFSU. While in college, John was a stringer for the San Mateo times, covering Peninsula high school sports. In addition, he worked for San Bruno Rec as a playground leader and mentor at John Muir School. His commitment earned him the local PTA award. It was there that he organized a basketball team that went undefeated, conquering most of the local public and private schools as well as some of the best teams in S.F. Upon graduation, John was hired as the Sports Editor of the Watsonville Register Pajaronian, where he worked for 11 years. He went on to write for papers in Oregon, Pacifica, HMB, and the Inland Empire cities of Victorville, San Bernardino and Redlands. Writing mostly high school sports articles and human-interest stories, John had a casual, funny and engaging style. He was as comfortable writing about girls’ volleyball or boys’ football and his thoughtful stories endeared him to students, their parents and coaches. John received many prestigious journalism awards from throughout the State including the San Francisco and Los Angeles Press Clubs, several for 2025. Funeral Mass at Our Lady of Angels Church in Burlingame at 10am on Friday, December 19th. Private family burial to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Afternoon Reception details will be announced at Mass. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Serra High School 451 W. 20th Ave. San Mateo CA 94403 or The Sisters of Mercy 2300 Adeline Dr. Burlingame CA 94010.