WORCESTER-Bartholomew M. Murphy, Sr. died Saturday, February 9th in UMass Univeristy Hospital. He leaves his wife, with whom he would have celebrated his 53rd anniversary in June, Joan T. (Owens) Murphy; four sons, Dr. Bartholomew M. Murphy, Jr. and wife Dr. Anita Murphy of Princeton, Dr. Owen J. Murphy and wife Maureen of San Bernardino, CA, Donald F. Murphy and wife Joan of Worcester, and Bryan T. Murphy of Worcester; six sisters, Mary Thulin of Camarillo, CA, Helen Coke of Harvard, Teresa O'Malley, Agnes and Catherine Murphy and Dorothea Hohl, all of Clinton; six grandchildren, Dylan, Kathleen, Kaitlyn, Sean, Maria and Anna; several nephews and nieces. Three brothers, John, Francis and George Murphy and a sister Grace Murphy, predeceased him.
He was born in Clinton, the son of Bartholomew and Ellen (O'Malley) Murphy, who immigrated from Counties Galway and Mayo, Ireland. Mr. Murphy was a graduate of Clinton High School (Class of 1943) and a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross (Class of 1950). He was employed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a senior state bank examiner for 31 years until his retirement in 1991. Mr. Murphy was a decorated WWII Army veteran serving in the Second Armored Division. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge, was involved in the liberation of concentration camps and was decorated by the Unites States, France and Belgium. At the end of the war, Mr. Murphy was an honor guard at the Potsdam Conference where Truman, Churchill and Stalin planned post war Europe. He was a member of St. Andrew the Apostle Mission Church for 40 years and its Men's Club and served as a Eucharistic minister and as a lector. Mr. Murphy had been a member of the Catholic Alumni Sodality of Our Lady at the College of the Holy Cross. He was also a member of the Central Massachusetts Chapter-22 Veterans of The Battle of The Bulge.
The funeral is Wednesday, February 13th from O'CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 592 Park Avenue with a Mass at 11:00 AM in St. Andrew the Apostle Church, 5 Spaulding Street. Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery. Calling hours are Tuesday, February 12th from 4:00 until 7:00 PM in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090.