Patrick Joseph Murphy

PATRICK JOSEPH MURPHY, born December 1,1942, in San Bernardino, CA, made his sudden, dramatic, yet peaceful transition from a fatal fall on December 16, 2020 in Temecula, CA, with his wife Sandi Kimmel, and his children Mark Murphy and Melissa Beamish, by his side. He is finally free of his Parkinson's Disease and pain. Brilliantly creative, ever-twinkling, lover of people, nature and beauty, Patrick devoted these past many years to his unique dimensional art and the way he looked at the world…up close and multi-layered. ??Patrick made friends wherever he went. Children followed him like he was the Pied Piper, dogs lay in wait for his footsteps, and our cat, Toesy, knew he could always get a few extra treats if he purred for Patrick. Patrick was a magnet for kids. Because of his ever-present, cheery smile and short white beard, he resembled Santa on vacation, and he collected smiles and waves from children of all ages wherever he went. He was also more in touch with his own "inner child" than most adults, and could be seen straightening up stuffed animals in stores, talking to them as he rearranged their accommodations. Of course, he had a few of his own… In fact, Kermit the Frog was his best friend, often saying things Patrick could not. A creative force of nature, his luminous career as the head of Patrick Murphy Advertising, a successful agency in San Diego, garnered him many industry awards. He wrote, produced and directed hundreds of commercials for financial institutions, high tech companies and medical products. He was responsible for introducing ATMs, WiFi, tympanic thermometers and dozens of other products and services, and gained a reputation for being a new product launch expert. In addition to his advertising agency, Patrick built a house for his family in Valley Center and began a parallel career as a "gentleman rancher" with 5 acres of more than 500 avocado trees and other fruit trees. His first wife, Elizabeth, and their children, Mark and Melissa, enjoyed their country life. In Melissa's words: "Nothing I can say can do him justice, but I am going to give you a small snippet of the type of person he was/IS: Sweet, kind, hard-working, ambitious, courageous, so creative that there weren't enough hours in the day to support his creativity, a "bottom line" type of guy, practical, a wonderful father, an adoring grandpa, a loyal friend, a teacher, a coach, a loving husband, a caring son, a problem solver, sensitive, sentimental, street smart, clever, a business man, a chameleon, spiritual, my Santa who made Christmas magical for me every year, a leader, a man who believed in "Refuse Defeat!," a fighter, proponent of justice, patriotic, tough, an artist, entrepreneur, inventor, an idea man, caregiver, a man who believed that nothing was impossible...and for him, nothing was. He loved nature, he was dynamic, stubborn, a dreamer, unbelievably inspirational, believed in rules, but that they didn't apply to him, passionate about whatever he was doing and unstoppable." Melissa, and her husband Colin, promise to teach their toddler son, Carter, all about his grandpa, using Kermit in creative ways…just like Patrick would have done. His son, Mark, and his family, wife Reina, and grandchildren, Samantha and Jack, were a source of pride for Patrick. He admired the family for their values, work ethic and hearts. As Mark recalls, "My father was the greatest man I have ever known. Period. He gave me unconditional love, advice, parenting me to be the best I can become. Anyone who knew my father would agree - he has touched so many lives and has done so much to make this world a better place. " Patrick grew up in 1940s Las Vegas, just as the town transformed into "Sin City." His memoir explores the experiences of being caught between the powers of "good and evil." He suffered under the Dominican nuns for the same reasons he was accepted by the mafia bosses - namely, his insatiable curiosity and refusal to follow rules. Patrick was completing writing his memoir, "Altar Boy" when he died. A graduate of Chouinard Art Institute (now Cal Arts), his education included classical training in every discipline from design and color theory, to metal sculpture, life drawing, painting and photography, his greatest love. With a busy freelance career while still in school, Patrick completed his BFA on a scholarship from Disney. While he used all of his training in his advertising agency, Patrick's art truly blossomed after his 2014 Parkinson's Disease diagnosis. It prompted him to finally embrace his passion for art. He knew if he wanted to be a fine artist, he needed to race the clock. With the support of his gifted cranio-sacral therapist, Lupita Hernandez, and his wonderful neurologists, Dr. Janice Fuentes and Dr. Ricardo Olivo, Patrick's art won awards, graced magazine covers and provided an opportunity to tell his story, "Wake Up Call: How My Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis Turned into Fine Art" to the TEDx Temecula audience. His inspiring talk is available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFqr879TYws (Or simply go to YouTube and type Patrick Murphy Parkinsons to access the video.) In 2003, Patrick married Sandi Kimmel, a songwriter, recording artist and writer, and their loving partnership was the foundation for, and reflected in, their many creative collaborations including the "HEART WIDE OPEN - Self-Care for Caregivers" handbook, which sold more 80,000 copies, to hospitals, hospices, caregiver support groups and individuals. The book combines their practical and experiential advice coupled with Patrick's beautiful art. He always loved watching Sandi perform her music to audiences around the country. In fact, after each concert, someone would always say, "I want someone to look at me the way Patrick looks at Sandi…" They loved sharing and supporting each other's creativity, and their 20 years of love spread even more love into the world. Donations in Patrick's memory are gratefully accepted by the Parkinson's Resource Organization: https://parkinsonsresource.org/ The organization's caregiver support group provided much needed support during a difficult time. In addition, some of Patrick's unique art is available for sale in the "front room gallery" by appointment only, and online at: https://www.PatrickMurphyFineart.com. A portion of the proceeds of all art sales will be donated to the Parkinson's Resource Organization. Patrick's special light continues to shine. His life was dedicated to showing us where to look for it… You can watch the memorial video, "Patrick Murphy - A Life Well Lived" here: https://youtu.be/8ygaHT4eRto "Some people say that the stars above are nothing but some light - but I know if I look up I'll see a new star out tonight…" ~ S. Kimmel