John F. Murphy, proud Army veteran
John F. Murphy, 88, of Frankford, formerly of Waldorf, Md., passed away with his family by his side Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, at Beebe Healthcare in Lewes.
John was born July 6, 1930, in New York City, N.Y. He proudly served his country in the United Sates Army from 1950-1970. He was stationed in Korea, Panama, Germany and Vietnam, and received the Bronze Star, Korean Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. He retired from the Army July 1, 1970, with the rank of Platoon Sergeant E-7. John had also served as the ROTC instructor for Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, Pa.
After his discharge from the service, he was hired as a U.S. Capitol Police officer in Washington, D.C.; he retired after 23 years and moved to Delaware. In Delaware he became active in several organizations. He was a member of the Mason Dixon VFW Post 7234 in Ocean View where he had served as captain of the honor guard, the American Legion Post 24 in Dagsboro, Elks Lodge 2645 in Ocean City, Md., East Sussex Moose Lodge 2542 in Roxana, and the Fraternal Order of the Eagles 4528 in Clarksville. John loved fishing, traveling, spending time with his family and enjoying a nice cold beer. He was extremely proud of his Irish heritage. He was an independent man who did things his way, and lived and loved his life to the fullest.
He is survived by his loving wife, Susan E. (Davidson) Murphy; six children, Lynn Morris (Keith) of Cambridge, Md., Kathleen Garcia of Mechanicsville, Md., John Murphy of Bowie, Md., Joseph Murphy of Oxon Hill, Md., Thomas Murphy of Leonardtown, Md., and Janet Brink (Bill) of Tampa, Fla.; and five grandchildren, Ryan Garcia, Kellie Murphy, John Raymond Murphy, Haley Brink and Nicholas Brink. He is also survived by two great-grandchildren, Alexis Garcia and Farissa Hubbard; a brother-in-law, Jeffrey Davidson and his wife Velma of Fort Myers, Fla.; a niece, Shannon Ditzel of Arnold, Md. and her two children, Dominic and Chris Ditzel.
A celebration of his life will be held at 12 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the Ocean View Chapel of Melson Funeral Services, 38040 Muddy Neck Road, Ocean View, where friends and family may visit after 11 a.m. Interment will be held at a later date at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Millsboro.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions in John’s name to the Home of the Brave, 6632 Sharps Road, Milford, DE 19963.
Online condolences may be sent by visiting www.melsonfuneralservices.com.
