John "Jack" Murphy

Peterborough, NH John "Jack" Murphy, 84, of Peterborough, died surrounded by his loving family, on February 6, 2015 in Jaffrey, at the Good Shepherd Nursing home. He was born on August 7, 1930 in Waterbury, CT, the son of John Joseph Murphy and Irene (Hamill) Murphy. He was married to Olga Sopensky, also of Waterbury CT in 1956. As a United States Marine, Jack served in the Korean Conflict and attained the rank of Sergeant before his honorable discharge. He attended Crosby High School in Waterbury, CT and Cheshire Academy. He graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and was named the Captain of the Boston College Track Team in 1957. He also earned his MBA from Babson College. Jack was an ardent student in retirement, studying languages and literature at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH, until the very end. After completing his formal education, Jack enjoyed a diverse and rewarding professional career. He was a financial officer for the Uniroyal Rubber Plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia for six years (1958-61, 1971-74). He was also with the FBI, in Washington, DC, as a Special Agent. After settling in NH, he worked at Sanders Associates in Nashua and was the first comptroller of the Brookstone Company in Peterborough. From 1975 until his retirement, Jack was self-employed as a small business consultant in the area with General Business Services. Jack's deep interest in working and inspiring young people along with his passion for running, made him "a natural" as the Cross Country Coach for ConVal High School from 1980 until 2001. He led his boys and girls teams to a number of Class and State Championships. Jack was the first coach to be elected to the "ConVal Hall of Fame". In 2009, he was named "Volunteer of the Year" by ConVal High School. He especially loved his Thursday night summer runs, which he continued to hold every summer until now. He enjoyed reading, travel, and sailing at Spofford Yacht Club, which he did for 35 years. He was a devoted parishioner of Divine Mercy Parish in Peterborough. In addition to his beloved wife Olga, Jack is survived by his daughter Ann Demos of West Springfield, MA, and his two sons, Gregory Murphy of Weston, CT and John Murphy of Missoula, MT. He also leaves his siblings Arlene Smith of Catonsville, MD and Donald Murphy of Eureka, CA. He was predeceased by his son Brian John Murphy in 1985. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 11:00 AM at Divine Mercy Parish, 18 Vine Street, Peterborough. Monsignor Gerald Belanger will be the celebrant. Burial will follow in St. Peter's Cemetery in the spring. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Jack's memory to Divine Mercy Parish Building Project, 18 Vine Street, Peterborough, NH, 03458 www.divinemercynh.org/building-project

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