1941 - 2022
Roy “Murph” Matt Murphy 81, passed away after a battle with lung cancer, September 11, 2022 in his home in Hugo, CO, surrounded by his loving family.
Roy was born in Chicago, Il August 14, 1941. His family lived in Lynn, MA for the next 12 years. His family later moved to Torrence, CA where Roy would complete high school before joining the Navy in March of 1960. Roy was aboard the USS Hamul until August 1962. After an honorable discharge he returned to Torrance CA where he met the love of his life, Edna. Roy and Edna were married in 1965 and they soon moved to Colorado where Edna had grown up. While Roy and Edna were based in Denver and Limon during this time, Roy worked on highway construction as a heavy equipment operator.
They frequently stayed at construction sites in Colorado and Wyoming in a travel trailer, often camping and fishing on Roy’s days off. Roy and Edna eventually left the road, and built their dream home south of Hugo in 1973. Roy ran a small cow-calf operation, while working road construction and later at the Limon packing plant. Roy enjoyed hunting and fishing in Colorado and was greatly disappointed when Bonny Dam was drained and the lakes at Eads were left without enough water to sustain fishing. Roy was a dog lover and always had a faithful canine companion. Roy enjoyed tying fishing flies, copper embossing and was well known for his beautiful leathercraft carving winning several awards over the years at the Lincoln County Fair.
After retirement, Roy and Edna would snowbird to Arizona where they could easily visit family from California and developed lasting friendships with many other snowbirds who returned to the same RV park year after year. Even after Edna’s passing in 2013, Roy continued to visit his many friends in Arizona and California. In the last years of Roy’s life, while he himself was a very good cook, and had been in charge of feeding everyone on his hunting trips, Roy enjoyed dining out at Jenny’s Mexican Food in Limon and Jean’s Place in Hugo where he could enjoy the company of his local friends. Roy is preceded in death by his parents Joe and Lil Murphy, his wife Edna, his son Richard Manyik, and son-in-law James Bowen.
He is survived by his sister Barbara Vandal and brother in law Gary, his daughter Sherron Bowen and daughter-in-law Sue Manyik as well as grandchildren Jim Bowen, April Bowen, Peggy Erickson, Dennis Manyik, Michael Manyik and Wendy Manyik as well as numerous nieces, nephews and great grandchildren.
Roy’s Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday September 24, 2022 at 1pm beginning with his Visitation from 12:00pm to 1:00pm, both being at First United Methodist Church in Hugo, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, family is asking that donations be made to either the American Lung Association at www.lung.org or to the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care https://www.va.gov/eastern-colorado-health-care/work-with-us/volunteer-or-donate/#make-a-donation
