News

By Emily J. Minor

    MANALAPAN — John J. Murphy, a proud Catholic Irishman whose young parents emigrated to America when they were still teenagers, died May 24 with his beloved wife, Pamela, at his side. He was 81.
    A self-made businessman, Mr. Murphy started a school bus company with just one vehicle in his native New Jersey in the late 1960s. He continued to grow the business into the largest private school bus operation in his home state, and the 20th largest in the country.
    It was at a school bus office that he met his wife, Pamela, who was then managing the company’s Ocean County operations. “It just went from there,” she said.
    Soon after they married, the couple began visiting Manalapan on holidays and weekends. They bought a condo, and loved it, but the family dog was big and needed more space. About 12 years ago, they bought a home in Manalapan and have lived there full-time for several years, she said.
    “We just kept staying more and more and we’re Florida residents now,” she said.
    Throughout his successful business career, Mr. Murphy never forgot his two biggest loves: Catholicism and student education. Through their years in Florida, the couple sponsored children they knew personally, privately sending them to private parochial schools, his wife said.   
    They were supporters of Ave Maria University, about 20 miles east of Naples on the edge of the Florida Everglades, and were favored donors at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Lake Worth. In New Jersey, the Murphys gave generously to programs like the Barn for the Poorest of the Poor in Middletown; Trinity Hall, an independent Catholic college prep school for women in Middletown; and the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, in Convent Station.
    Mr. Murphy also served on the Manalapan Town Commission for two years, working to keep the Police Department under the town’s domain and not run by the county sheriff’s office. “That was his baby,” his wife said.
    But he didn’t run for re-election after his term ended in 2014, mostly because of emerging problems with his health. He had stents in his heart, then congestive heart failure, diabetes and then a bout with cancer. When he beat the cancer, the couple went on a cruise to celebrate, his wife said.
    Upon their return, Mr. Murphy developed pneumonia, and really never recovered, she said. His death was peaceful, and she was at his side.
    Mr. Murphy was widely known for his love of life. He enjoyed a good poker game, happy hour — often at their house — and a rousing Kentucky Derby party. He also enjoyed traveling, especially to the island of St. Martin and his parents’ homeland of Ireland, where he had many relatives.
    In his memory, Mrs. Murphy asks that donations be made to Sacred Heart Catholic School, 410 N. M Street, Lake Worth, FL 33460.