Michael Murphy

1954 - 2025

Michael Murphy, 71

Michael Lester Murphy

April 13, 1954 – May 12, 2025



Michael Lester Murphy passed away peacefully on Monday, May 12, 2025, surrounded by his beloved family, following a courageous three-and-a-half-year battle with cancer.



He was born April 13, 1954 in Pocatello, Idaho to Thomas L. and Nona May (French) Murphy, and grew up in Idaho Falls as the youngest of three children. He grew up loving the outdoors, where his youth was spent camping, fishing, hunting, boating, enjoying water and snow skiing, as well as just about any other outdoor activity and youth sports program. He was active in scouting, earning both the "Order of the Arrow" and the rank of Eagle Scout.



He graduated from Idaho Falls High School in 1972 with academic honors and letters in both football and basketball. He attended the University of Idaho where he graduated in 1976 summa cum laude, with a Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering. The following year he completed graduate school, adding a Master of Science Chemical Engineering. While attending college and starting his beautiful young family, he worked as a research associate before taking a full-time position as process engineer at Energy Products of Idaho (EPI) in Coeur d'Alene; a move that would launch a 41-year career in the field of alternative energy and fluidized combustion technology. During his time at EPI, he served as Vice President of Product Development, Sales and Marketing, as well as Director of Engineering and Technology. He ultimately served as General Manager until his retirement in 2019. He was a recognized expert in fluidized bed combustion and gasification technology, in addition to energy recovery from solid waste materials, helping pioneer the environmental engineering and waste-to-energy industry. He proudly held three U.S. patents for his contributions in this field. His career afforded him the rewarding opportunity to travel the world, with numerous visits to countries including Scandinavia, Europe, Greece, China, Guyana, The Philippines, Canada, as well as throughout the US.



He found love at first sight, and married his high school sweetheart Jill Merkley in 1971. They were later sealed in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple. They raised four children: Jennifer, James, Erin and Mollie. They enjoyed spending time with their family, especially in the outdoors, boating, waterskiing & wakeboarding, snow skiing, floating, huckleberry picking, and camping at Priest Lake, Farragut, and up the Coeur d'Alene River, as well as some occasional special vacations to Hawaii and DisneyWorld Florida. Sports were a favorite pastime in the Murphy family, and often found Mike taking on the role of Coach or Assistant Coach, in addition to that of proud dad and spectator. Whether it was tee-ball, softball, soccer, drill team, dance, or Friday night lights catching a CDA Vikings or LCHS football game, he & Jill were there to cheer, support and yell with the best of 'em, rain or shine, home or away.



Mike was an avid reader and loved filling his time at home and on airplanes with his nose in a book. He had a love of fantasy, adventure, monsters and horror, a flame first kindled as a young man in the amazing novels such as Tarzan and John Carpenter by Edgar Rice Bouroughs. Favorites also included Les Misérables and the Count of Monte Cristo. The writings of J.R.R. Tolkien would later have a profound impact on him, truly becoming precious masterpieces that he'd revisit throughout the rest of life in both print and screen.



All that know him well know that he was a fanboy at heart, with Conan the Barbarian being at the top of the list, as his many adventures were brought to life by the rich words Robert E. Howard and the groundbreaking artwork Frank Frazetta. He connected with the themes of light vs darkness, good vs evil, honor, character, wit, and sprinkle of ol' fashioned luck, and one could easily derive how these themes shaped his own faith, character, actions and belief that in the end, good will overcome, and therefore keep up the good fight, and never lose hope and perspective. His love of fantasy would shape what hundreds have come to know Mike for, and that was Halloween. For nearly 50 years, Halloween night would find him in a costume, usually something scary, lurking upon a porch in anticipation of spooking the next unsuspecting trick-or-treater who ventured into his lair.



Mike enjoyed poetry, as the writings of Robert Frost and Walt Whitman allowed his mind to dance through words and rhyme. His favorite poem above all was "IF" by Rudyard Kipling, which he shared with his kids, grandchildren and friends, oftentimes with an invitation or challenge to memorize that work. His love of poetry developed into the love of writing poetry, which he'd do for birthdays, holidays, even his own retirement party. For the last 35 years on Christmas Eve, he would narrate a newly written poem for his family, blending the adventures of that present year with his love for the Savior and the true meaning of the season. These works will be cherished by our family in the years to come.



Although his retirement years were interrupted and cut all too short, they were spent among his favorite places in the world such as the beaches of Maui, in the pristine mountains of Redfish Lake, Priest Lake and Yellowstone, as well as down the thousands of miles of highways that He, Jill and his prized Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra would share, the afternoon sun shining, with some oldies rock 'n' roll drifting in their wake.



He is preceded in death by both of his parents. He is survived by his loving wife and his best friend for over 50 years, Jill, and his four children: Jennifer (Dan) Stone, Coeur d'Alene, with Jordyn (Jesse) Welch plus Axton, Ostyn, and Walker, Jared Stone with Hudson and Gwenevieve, Bryce (Amanda) Stone with … and Brooklyn Stone; his son James (Kathryn) Murphy of Riverton, Utah, with Makenna and Brooks; daughter Erin (Mike) Grimmett Coeur d'Alene, with Zoe, Sophie, Ellie and Brodie; daughter Mollie (Ryan) Wing, Coeur d'Alene, with Harper. Two brothers Steve (Nancy) Murphy, Burley, Idaho, and Larry (Marilyn) Lewis of Parkville, Missouri, and sister Linda (Ralph) Christensen, Dalton Gardens. He also leaves behind his father-in-law Hal D. Merkley, 92, of Idaho Falls and Jill's siblings including Teresa (Ron), Cindy (Wade), Mark (Pam), Mike (Miguel), and Ryan.



Mike and his family would like to extend their sincerest gratitude to all the doctors, nurses, technicians and staff at Beacon Clinic for their outstanding caregiving and compassion during these years of battling an unexpected and unpredictable cancer. Their knowledge, efforts and encouragement were truly welcomed, appreciated and beneficial.



Funeral services will be held on Friday, May 30th, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2293 W Hanley Ave, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, 83815. Visitation will be from 9:00-10:30 A.M. The funeral service will be 11:00 A.M. All are welcome to attend. Burial will follow the service at Riverview Cemetery in Coeur d'Alene. Yates Funeral Home is entrusted with the care of final arrangements. Please visit Mike's memorial and sign his online guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com