Edward James Murphy, 74, son of the late Edward Francis and Elizabeth Bernath Murphy, died Oct. 18 at his home in Old Greenwich, Conn.
Born on May 15, 1932, in New York, N.Y., Ed grew up in the Philadelphia area and graduated from LaSalle College High School, where he played football. He graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Economics in 1951.
Ed was a U.S. Army veteran, having served in Germany during the early 1950s.
He was a successful and creative businessman who worked in a variety of advertising and marketing positions before joining Reader’s Digest Corp. in 1968. His career took him to both Japan and Mexico before he settled in the United States in 1975.
He was Director of the Music and Video Division and awarded an Emmy for the Reader’s Digest video production on the U.S. National Park System. He retired from Reader’s Digest in 1995.
Ed loved to entertain family and friends and was known for his quick wit and dry sense of humor. He enjoyed traveling and boating and after retirement split his time between homes in Old Greenwich, Conn. and South Bristol. Ed was an avid reader, talented writer and a master of the crossword puzzle.
Mr. Murphy was predeceased by his wife of 33 years, Josseline Murphy.
He is survived by three sons, Kevin, Christopher and Jerome; daughters-in-law, Pam and Bo; six grandchildren; sister and brother-in-law, Kathy and Brian Cavanagh; a niece and two nephews; and his significant partner, Karin Lopp.
Calling hours 4-8 p.m., Mon., Oct. 23 at The Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, 31 Arch St., Greenwich, Conn.
Mass of Christian Burial 11 a.m., Tues., Oct. 24 at St. Catherine of Siena, 4 Riverside Ave., Riverside, Conn.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.
