Richard Thomas Murphy

Richard Thomas Murphy, DMD, passed away on May 7, 2025, after a long and joyous life.

Richard is survived by his loving wife of nearly 63 years, Valerie Brennan Murphy, his children Tara Murphy and her husband Michael Andrews, Richard Thomas Murphy Jr., Erin Kate Murphy, her husband Sean Gomez and beloved grandson Leo; and many cherished nieces and nephews for whom Uncle Richard was a source of laughter and stories.

Richard grew up in Abington and was the son of Frederick (Fritz) Murphy and Celeste Holden Murphy and one of seven siblings: Cynthia, Charlotte, Celeste, Fred, Richard, Raymond and Jerry. His father died of lung cancer when Richard was 11, leaving the family in challenging economic circumstances.

He attended Abington High School where he was the captain of the football team and president of his class for all four years. He attended Boston College as a day student, hitchhiking to school each day from Abington. He went on to attend Tufts Dental School and earned his degree as a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD). At a dental school reunion, several classmates remarked to Valerie that they seldom saw my father except in class because he was always working to support himself.

After dental school, he joined the Navy and was stationed in San Diego, CA where he met Valerie Brennan, who was living with relatives in San Diego to escape the cold of her native Canada.

After 8 months of dating, followed by a long-distance courtship (with Richard stationed on a navy ship in Asia and Valerie travelling in Europe and moving back to Canada) the couple were married in the military chapel in San Diego. Two years later they left California – taking 3 months to drive and car camp across the U.S. and Canada in a small VW bug to move back to Massachusetts – first to Canton and then to Scituate, MA, where Richard established his family dental practice and served the community for more than 30 years. The family moved to Marshfield Hills in 1980 where Richard and Valerie became avid gardeners. He retired from the Naval Reserve in 1985 having achieved the rank of Captain.

Richard delighted in his family – including nieces and nephews, swimming in the ocean, and had a deep devotion to his Catholic faith, and later to the practice of Christian mediation. He was an exceptional storyteller, regaling generations of children with stories of “Murphy of the West” and other characters and schooling many nieces and nephews on the art of and science of eating lobster.

He had a fierce love of life. At 80, after being diagnosed with bladder cancer, he successfully convinced the skeptical surgeons to move forward with surgery after explaining that his daughter was pregnant with his first grandchild and that he needed to live to see his high school graduation. Leo Sebastian Gomez was born in 2011, and Richard quickly became Leo’s #1 playmate, storyteller and companion when it came to all manner of project or adventure.

Even as dementia took his memory, Richard savored the good things in life – time with loved ones, good food, and the beauty of the world from clouds to white beach rocks he collected at Humarock Beach; sunsets, birdsong - and always, spending time with children.

Richard will be deeply missed by his family and friends.

God bless you Richard, and may God hold you in the palm of his hand in death as he did in life. Amen.

Please join Richard's family for a funeral service on Saturday, July 19 at 10AM at St. Mary's of the Nativity, 1 Kent St. in Scituate. 

In loving memory of Richard, please consider a donation to: America's Tooth Fairy