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Thomas L. Murphy, 74, passed away peacefully at his Albuquerque, NM home on Monday, November 13, 2006. He was born on August 23, 1932 in Corsicana, TX and lived most of his life in Texas and New Mexico. Tom graduated from Whitesboro High School in Whitesboro, TX in 1950, where he was an outstanding athlete: starting halfback for the football team and a starting player on the basketball team. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps at the age of 17 and was a veteran of the Korean War, serving twenty-seven months in Japan, after which he was stationed at Continental Divide, NM. During his 20 year career in the Air Force, he was also stationed at Kirtland AFB in NM, where he met and married Mary Lucille Hegarty on December 26, 1957; Richards-Gebaur AFB in Missouri; Chatham AFB in New Brunswick, Canada; and Perrin AFB in Denison, TX. Following his retirement from the Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant in 1971, he received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Education from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He began his teaching career in 1973 at Tohatchi Elementary School in Tohatchi, NM, on the Navajo Nation. He also taught at Aileen Roat and Stagecoach Elementary Schools in Gallup, NM. Following his retirement from the Gallup-McKinley County Schools, he moved to Albuquerque. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Mary; their children and spouses, Colleen and Bill Tarket, John and Vicki Murphy, Thomas and Melinda Murphy, Jennifer and Brian Murphy-Dye, Teresa and Ron Dyer, Vincent and Laurajean Murphy, and Rosalie and Terry Bergamo; 20 grandchildren; and two great-grandsons. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C.E. McFatridge of Whitesboro, TX; his first wife, Genevie Imboden of Gallup, NM; and his son, Stephen. When Tom wed Mary, he confided his wish to have 10 children but had to be content with 8! He was involved in Scouts and Little League, and taught his sons and daughters to fish, bicycle, roller-skate, and ice-skate, skating circles backwards around them until he broke his ankle showing off at the rink. He was a neighborly guy who enjoyed telling stories of his life in the Air Force and could fix anything. Cleo, his Springer Spaniel, brought him great joy. In his later years, he fed the hummingbirds that visited his yard, and honed his computer skills in order to better research his family roots. He had hoped to make it to his 50-year anniversary with Mary, was proud of all of his children, and derived great joy from his grandchildren. Pursuant to his wishes, Tom will be cremated and buried at sea. Friends and family are asked to donate children's books to the Gallup Public Library, 200 W. Aztec, Gallup, NM 87301. French Mortuary, Inc. 7121 Wyoming Blvd. NE (505) 823-9400
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