Thomas H. Murphy, 77, of Rockland, passed away on June 12, 2019. Born on Feb. 9, 1942 in Brooklyn, N.Y., he graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in 1959 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He trained and graduated from the Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) and was a member of SEAL Team Two. He graduated from Harvard University, 1968. He met his wife, Edith Pierce of Lincoln, Mass. on an airplane, whom he married in 1967.
An offer from a college professor brought Tom and his family to Tomales, Calif., where he grew oysters. Returning to the east in 1977, Tom found an old cape in Waldoboro to which he, Edie and their children, Leila and Oren moved. Tom raised oysters on the Damariscotta River, served in the Waldoboro Police Department, worked on the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant and on naval destroyers at BIW. He had two more children, Caitlin and Finn, with Catherine M. Kimball, from Farmington.
Tom was well-read, well-traveled, and never afraid to share his opinions. He had eclectic interests, amongst them karate, wooden boat building, meditation, and photography. He was a fixture at Moody’s Diner in Waldoboro and after moving to Rockland at Rock City Café, where he frequented with his trusty service dog, Cecil.
Tom is survived by daughter, Leila Murphy and her partner Roger Greeley of Portsmouth, N.H.; son, Oren Murphy and his wife Ermina Sokou of Bangkok; daughter, Caitlin Murphy and her partner Gabe Golden of Niskayuna, N.Y.; son, Finn Murphy of Corvallis, Ore.; sister, Joan Cacchio of Minoa, N.Y.; brother, William Murphy and wife Mary of Newburgh, N.Y.; grandsons, Odysseus Murphy and Leonidas Murphy; and ex-wife Cynthia Thomas of Hallowell.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 3 p.m. at Steel House South in Rockland, with a reception following.
