Edwin C. Murphy Jr., age 74, died on June 22, 2017, in Port Angeles. Ed/Ted/Eddo was born in 1942 to Edwin C. and Elizabeth G. Murphy of North Andover, Massachusetts. In due time, Ed was joined by three brothers and two sisters. He graduated from The Governor’s Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts, and received his Bachelor of Science from the Catholic University of America.
He went on to obtain a Ph.D. in cellular biology from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and followed that with post-doctoral work at Johns Hopkins and University of Washington. Ed’s passion for research in the field of tumor virology led him to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, where he ultimately became a tenured professor. In 1998, Ed retired from MDACC and embarked on a second career as the owner/operator of the Manitou Lodge in Forks. Along the way, he honed his skills as a carpenter, craftsman and fine woodworker; studied the Japanese language and later Hindi; plucked guitar and banjo strings; skied whenever he could; officiated weddings; and discovered the joy of cooking. Ed was a student of all things, a gifted educator and had an Irishman’s gift of gab.
He was an athlete and an avid lover of anything physical – the harder the better – and he always played to win. Ed is survived by his wife, Lynne, and their son, Arthur; daughter Sheila Murphy (Erik) Wollam; brothers Richard and Stephen Murphy; sister Susan Brown; and grandchildren Henry and John Wollam of Wimberley, Texas, and Luke, Shannon and Samantha Murphy of Durham, North Carolina.
Ed’s special loved ones also include his lifelong friend James Crane and his daughter-in-law Stacy Murphy Utz, wife of Ed’s beloved son Ted. Ed was preceded in death by his parents, Edwin Sr. and Elizabeth, as well as his sister Anne Marie, his brother Robert and his son Ted. Special thanks to the many wonderful people who supported Ed along the way, including Dr. Bob Benjamin and MDACC, Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County and the folks at Olympic Medical Center.
Ed will be remembered by family and friends at St. Michael’s Church in North Andover, Massachusetts, on Saturday, July 22, 2017. Final arrangements will be handled by Drennan-Ford Funeral Home in Port Angeles and Conte Funeral Home in North Andover, Massachusetts. Donations may be made to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston at http://tinyurl.com/pdn-mdacc.
