George Murphy

George Murphy HICKORY George Donaldson Murphy of Hickory died Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, at his residence following a brief illness. Mr. Murphy was born June 24, 1928, the son of the late Joseph Long Murphy Junior and Jesse Trent Donaldson Murphy of Hickory. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Joseph Long Murphy, III. Mr. Murphy attended Fishburne Military Academy, graduated from Hickory High School, and attended Lenoir Rhyne University. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. He was co-founder and owner of Norman Vendors, Inc. of Hickory which later merged with Servomation Corporation and is presently Canteen Vending. Mr. Murphy was a life- long member of Corinth Reformed Church where he served in various capacities. He served as Hickory City Councilman in 1957 and as Mayor of Hickory from 1977-1981. Other areas of noted community service include the North Carolina Commission for the Blind from 1977-2004, Hickory Rotary Club and as public announcer at Lenoir Rhyne University and Hickory High School for many years. In his latter years he worked diligently to fulfill a lifetime dream of bringing professional baseball back to Hickory and was inducted into the Catawba County Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. Mr. Murphy is survived by his wife, Jane Turner Murphy. He is also survived by his children, Samuel Lail Murphy and his wife, Cindi, of Pisgah Forest, George Donaldson Murphy, Jr. and his wife, Sally, of Charlotte, and Dixie Gail Haynes and her husband, Tim, of Asheville. His grandchildren and great-grandchildren include Larkin Murphy, of Pisgah Forest, Emily Cate Murphy and Anna Murphy of Charlotte, and Heather Grier and Layla Grier of Newton. Family members include Peggy, Jim, Tara and Daniel England of Morganton, Robert and Norma Turner of Mor-ganton, Travis and LeAnn Turner of New Jersey, David, Jennifer, Maggie and Garret Hampton of Morganton; Stine and Carolyn Isenhower of Conover, and Ron Hartgrove of Palm Beach Garden, Fla. Graveside services will be conducted at 10 a.m. at Oakwood Cemetery Saturday, Dec., 31, 2011. A memorial service will be held Saturday, Dec. 31, at Corinth Reformed Church at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Dr. Robert Thompson, the Revs. Bill Howell, Ron Scott, and Paul Cummings officiating. A reception will follow in the church fellowship hall. Memorial contributions may be made to Corinth Reformed Church, 150 16th Ave., NW, Hickory, NC 28601 or Adult Life Programs, P.O. Box 807, Hickory, NC 28603; or Palliative Care Center and Hospice of Catawba Valley, 3975 Robinson Road, Newton, NC 28658. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.bass-smithfuneralhome.com. Bass-Smith Funeral Home in Hickory is serving the family of George Donaldson Murphy.