John Joseph Murphy died May 4th, 2017 just blocks away from his childhood home in San Mateo, California. Born Feb 18,1920, He was 97 years old.
John was the 4th of 6 children and first son born to Irish immigrants Tim Murphy and Mary Ita Lacey. He loved to talk story about his experiences growing up on Villa Terrace in San Mateo. His father worked hard all his life to provide a home and and good life for his family. John spoke of him with great respect and admiration. He loved his mother's Irish Soda Bread and the cherries she would jar in the summer time. His father kept goats in their spacious backyard. John had a pet goat that was attacked by a dog and later died from its' injuries. John never cared much for dogs in all his years after that
After completing elementary school John attended and graduated from St James in San Francisco. He rode the historical F Line every day to school. He was known to be short in stature but big in attitude.
After completing High School, John got his first job just a couple of blocks from his home at the Lucky Lager bottling factory. By 1940, he worked as a gas station attendent at a Shell gas station he and his friend Ward Thomas ran. It was at this time that he met his wife of 67 years, Elizabeth May Bartlett. Mutual friends and Miss Bartlett's sister Eleanor helped arranged their meeting at a in-house dance. Beth made John nervous as she appeared to be about 13 years old.John didn't quite appeal to Beth as he was dirty and smelled of gasoline having not had the chance to clean up after work. The second encounter was much different and the two married July 20, 1941.
Almost a year to the day, Beth gave birth to their first of 6 sons, Timothy. While she was pregnant with their second, John was drafted into the army and sent oversees to Belgium where he fought at the north end of "The Bulge".
Having survived the horrors of WWII, John returned to San Mateo and eventually secured a job working for Pacific Bell, now AT&T. Like his father before him, he worked hard and provided a home and good life for his wife, 6 sons and adopted daughter.
At the age of 90 John became a world traveler enjoying many trips to Oregon, Florida, Massachusetts, Ireland and finally, his last trip back to his old battlegrounds in Europe revisiting Belgium, France,and Germany.
John was a great "fix it" guy and built all kinds of things from dollhouses to kitchen cabinets. He loved to spend time with his family and socialize, talking story and arguing over politics.
John was a religious man, very devout, and a parishioner of St Charles Parish in San Carlos since the first time he had moved there with his little family in 1941.
John is buried with his wife in the Bartlett Family Plot at St Johns Cemetery in San Mateo.
He is missed so very much.
John was the 4th of 6 children and first son born to Irish immigrants Tim Murphy and Mary Ita Lacey. He loved to talk story about his experiences growing up on Villa Terrace in San Mateo. His father worked hard all his life to provide a home and and good life for his family. John spoke of him with great respect and admiration. He loved his mother's Irish Soda Bread and the cherries she would jar in the summer time. His father kept goats in their spacious backyard. John had a pet goat that was attacked by a dog and later died from its' injuries. John never cared much for dogs in all his years after that
After completing elementary school John attended and graduated from St James in San Francisco. He rode the historical F Line every day to school. He was known to be short in stature but big in attitude.
After completing High School, John got his first job just a couple of blocks from his home at the Lucky Lager bottling factory. By 1940, he worked as a gas station attendent at a Shell gas station he and his friend Ward Thomas ran. It was at this time that he met his wife of 67 years, Elizabeth May Bartlett. Mutual friends and Miss Bartlett's sister Eleanor helped arranged their meeting at a in-house dance. Beth made John nervous as she appeared to be about 13 years old.John didn't quite appeal to Beth as he was dirty and smelled of gasoline having not had the chance to clean up after work. The second encounter was much different and the two married July 20, 1941.
Almost a year to the day, Beth gave birth to their first of 6 sons, Timothy. While she was pregnant with their second, John was drafted into the army and sent oversees to Belgium where he fought at the north end of "The Bulge".
Having survived the horrors of WWII, John returned to San Mateo and eventually secured a job working for Pacific Bell, now AT&T. Like his father before him, he worked hard and provided a home and good life for his wife, 6 sons and adopted daughter.
At the age of 90 John became a world traveler enjoying many trips to Oregon, Florida, Massachusetts, Ireland and finally, his last trip back to his old battlegrounds in Europe revisiting Belgium, France,and Germany.
John was a great "fix it" guy and built all kinds of things from dollhouses to kitchen cabinets. He loved to spend time with his family and socialize, talking story and arguing over politics.
John was a religious man, very devout, and a parishioner of St Charles Parish in San Carlos since the first time he had moved there with his little family in 1941.
John is buried with his wife in the Bartlett Family Plot at St Johns Cemetery in San Mateo.
He is missed so very much.
John Joseph Murphy died May 4th, 2017 just blocks away from his childhood home in San Mateo, California. Born Feb 18,1920, He was 97 years old.
John was the 4th of 6 children and first son born to Irish immigrants Tim Murphy and Mary Ita Lacey. He loved to talk story about his experiences growing up on Villa Terrace in San Mateo. His father worked hard all his life to provide a home and and good life for his family. John spoke of him with great respect and admiration. He loved his mother's Irish Soda Bread and the cherries she would jar in the summer time. His father kept goats in their spacious backyard. John had a pet goat that was attacked by a dog and later died from its' injuries. John never cared much for dogs in all his years after that
After completing elementary school John attended and graduated from St James in San Francisco. He rode the historical F Line every day to school. He was known to be short in stature but big in attitude.
After completing High School, John got his first job just a couple of blocks from his home at the Lucky Lager bottling factory. By 1940, he worked as a gas station attendent at a Shell gas station he and his friend Ward Thomas ran. It was at this time that he met his wife of 67 years, Elizabeth May Bartlett. Mutual friends and Miss Bartlett's sister Eleanor helped arranged their meeting at a in-house dance. Beth made John nervous as she appeared to be about 13 years old.John didn't quite appeal to Beth as he was dirty and smelled of gasoline having not had the chance to clean up after work. The second encounter was much different and the two married July 20, 1941.
Almost a year to the day, Beth gave birth to their first of 6 sons, Timothy. While she was pregnant with their second, John was drafted into the army and sent oversees to Belgium where he fought at the north end of "The Bulge".
Having survived the horrors of WWII, John returned to San Mateo and eventually secured a job working for Pacific Bell, now AT&T. Like his father before him, he worked hard and provided a home and good life for his wife, 6 sons and adopted daughter.
At the age of 90 John became a world traveler enjoying many trips to Oregon, Florida, Massachusetts, Ireland and finally, his last trip back to his old battlegrounds in Europe revisiting Belgium, France,and Germany.
John was a great "fix it" guy and built all kinds of things from dollhouses to kitchen cabinets. He loved to spend time with his family and socialize, talking story and arguing over politics.
John was a religious man, very devout, and a parishioner of St Charles Parish in San Carlos since the first time he had moved there with his little family in 1941.
John is buried with his wife in the Bartlett Family Plot at St Johns Cemetery in San Mateo.
He is missed so very much.
John was the 4th of 6 children and first son born to Irish immigrants Tim Murphy and Mary Ita Lacey. He loved to talk story about his experiences growing up on Villa Terrace in San Mateo. His father worked hard all his life to provide a home and and good life for his family. John spoke of him with great respect and admiration. He loved his mother's Irish Soda Bread and the cherries she would jar in the summer time. His father kept goats in their spacious backyard. John had a pet goat that was attacked by a dog and later died from its' injuries. John never cared much for dogs in all his years after that
After completing elementary school John attended and graduated from St James in San Francisco. He rode the historical F Line every day to school. He was known to be short in stature but big in attitude.
After completing High School, John got his first job just a couple of blocks from his home at the Lucky Lager bottling factory. By 1940, he worked as a gas station attendent at a Shell gas station he and his friend Ward Thomas ran. It was at this time that he met his wife of 67 years, Elizabeth May Bartlett. Mutual friends and Miss Bartlett's sister Eleanor helped arranged their meeting at a in-house dance. Beth made John nervous as she appeared to be about 13 years old.John didn't quite appeal to Beth as he was dirty and smelled of gasoline having not had the chance to clean up after work. The second encounter was much different and the two married July 20, 1941.
Almost a year to the day, Beth gave birth to their first of 6 sons, Timothy. While she was pregnant with their second, John was drafted into the army and sent oversees to Belgium where he fought at the north end of "The Bulge".
Having survived the horrors of WWII, John returned to San Mateo and eventually secured a job working for Pacific Bell, now AT&T. Like his father before him, he worked hard and provided a home and good life for his wife, 6 sons and adopted daughter.
At the age of 90 John became a world traveler enjoying many trips to Oregon, Florida, Massachusetts, Ireland and finally, his last trip back to his old battlegrounds in Europe revisiting Belgium, France,and Germany.
John was a great "fix it" guy and built all kinds of things from dollhouses to kitchen cabinets. He loved to spend time with his family and socialize, talking story and arguing over politics.
John was a religious man, very devout, and a parishioner of St Charles Parish in San Carlos since the first time he had moved there with his little family in 1941.
John is buried with his wife in the Bartlett Family Plot at St Johns Cemetery in San Mateo.
He is missed so very much.
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