James Joseph Murphy III

James “Jim” Joseph Murphy III departed life peacefully at the age of 75 in his home in Galveston, TX on November 17^th after battling his illness with grace, determination, and unbelievable fortitude.  He was born in Baltimore, MD on November 30, 1942 to James “Jamie” Joseph Murphy, Jr. and Henrietta Towson Murphy.  As the older brother to Peter and the younger brother to Christopher, Jim was the middleman in every sense of the word.  He graduated from St. John’s School in Houston, TX in 1960 and attended Rice University where he studied mathematics.  He was a wonderful father to his two children, Lisa Murphy Dods and James Joseph “Jim” Murphy IV, step-son Brandon Grimes, and a loving granddad to Johnny, Katie, Jax, Jamie and Sophie.

Jim was married to Julia Grimes Murphy for the last 29 years, spending time between the beautiful Palm Spring desert and the wonderful high rise they meticulously designed and decorated in Galveston.  Jim was happiest by the water or a cool swimming pool.  He loved the open road and driving his motor coach from Texas to California and all points in between.  He made many friends along the way, but he was very grateful for his close friends in Galveston and Palm Springs that enjoyed sharing his love for dining out at all the local establishments.  He was a life-long entrepreneur who would rather work 80 hours a week just to avoid working 40 hours for someone else.  As an ardent believer in a hard day’s work and a conscientious steward of his money, Jim would surely offer his displeasure in the amount of money spent on this obituary.  Yet, despite his thriftiness, he was an extremely generous man with a kind heart and forgiving soul.  Jim was an avid sports fan, and he especially loved supporting the St. John’s Mavericks, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and every one of his grandkids in their various athletic endeavors.  He will be sorely missed by everyone, including his precious dog ‘Cilla who was by his side during the last moments of his life.

A celebration of Jim’s life will be held on November 23^rd at Malloy & Son Funeral Home in Galveston.  Jim’s family will receive visitors at 2:00 pm followed by a service beginning at 3:00 pm.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Amyloidosis Foundation or a charity of your choice.