Patrick Murphy

PATRICK MURPHY Sept. 9, 2010, prominent attorney, golfer, motorcyclist and fisherman, Patrick James Murphy, concluded his grand tour through the ancient and modern wonders of this world, passing away during a fishing and golfing trip in San Jose, Costa Rica. He was just days short of his 57th birthday. A skilled and respected trial attorney, Pat served as president of the Nevada Trial Lawyers Association, and was not only admitted to the Nevada State Bar, but was also a member of the bars of the U.S. District Court for the State of Nevada, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. A summa cum laude graduate of the Northern Michigan University with a bachelor of science in education, Pat Murphy obtained his juris doctorate from the Seattle University School of Law in 1980 and moved to Las Vegas, where he practiced law for the next 30 years. To spend further time discussing his courtroom prowess would be to diminish the extraordinary nature of this man. His true greatness lay in his ability to enjoy his life and to entertain his friends. A former Jack Pine Enduro trophy winner, Mr. Murphy owned, rode and raced a countless number of vintage and modern motorbikes, taking great pains to grievously injure himself and, on a number of occasions, to break many of the major bones in his body. Pat was a Honda factory-certified two-stroke mechanic. An avid fisherman, Mr. Murphy belonged to formal and informal fly-fishing clubs in Nevada and elsewhere. He also enjoyed deep-sea fishing in the Caribbean, the Pacific northwest, and the Gulf of Mexico. Pat was easily identifiable with his beaten-up canvas Safari hat, his fish-finding sunglasses, and his flask of Jameson Irish Whiskey or his beloved Basil Hayden Bourbon. To say that Mr. Murphy loved his golf is like saying that a bear loves its honey. He was not just a member of the Las Vegas Country Club and Spanish Trails, but managed to obtain an associate membership of St. Andrews in Scotland. A self-proclaimed "scratch" golfer, Pat's divots may still be found in courses from Maine to California, and a seven-iron is still to be seen half-buried at the eighth hole of the Country Club. He is remembered on courses from Greece to Australia. Pat is survived by his parents, Ralph and Jayleane Murphy; brother, Michael (Janine); and nephew, Sean Patrick Murphy. Memorial "wake" in remembrance of Mr. Murphy will be 5:30-8 p.m. this Thursday, Sept. 16, in the ballroom located on the second floor of the California Hotel and Casino. In lieu of flowers, it was Mr. Murphy's fondest wish that his friends send each other copies of the 1952 John Ford film, "The Quiet Man," starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara and Barry Fitzgerald.