William P. "Bill" Murphy

William Paul Murphy
July 9, 1947 - October 29, 2025
William Paul Murphy, 78, who answered to Bill, Gramps and signed every note with "B-B-B-Bill" passed away peacefully on October 29, 2025 at IU Health Arnett in Lafayette, Indiana.
Bill was born on July 9, 1947 in Waterloo, IA to the late Maurice F Murphy and Helen M Murphy (Klein). He graduated from Columbus High School with the class of 1965, and received his Bachelor of Arts and Masters Degree in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Northern Iowa before earning his license as a Speech Pathologist in 1973. He met his beloved wife, Marybeth, in the summer of 1980 and married her on May 29, 1982.
Bill was a trailblazer in the area of stuttering. In his over 50 year career, Bill pioneered innovative treatment approaches to support children and adults living with a stutter. Bill was a Professor Emeritus with the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Purdue University and spent his career breaking down stuttering stigma by teaching families, students, and other professionals how to treat, support and advocate for people who stutter. He was a much sought after educator who offered numerous lectures and conference talks around the world. Being a stutterer himself, Bill intimately understood the emotional impact of stuttering. He was well known for his fierce advocacy of children with stuttering teaching them that, "It's not my fault!"
Bill and Marybeth have lived in West Lafayette for more than 43 years surrounded by a joyful community of family and friends. They raised Rob in a loving home, instilling a passion for lifelong learning and travel. Bill loved many things: traveling and scuba diving with Marybeth; collecting, shooting and working with guns; sharing a good Cowboy story or telling a "good" Dad joke. Above all else, he loved to laugh and to make others laugh!
He is survived by his wife, Marybeth Jansky; their son, Rob Anderson (and daughter-in-law, Judy) of Wilmington, NC; grandchildren, Noah and Jordyn Anderson; and two cats, Charlie and Al. Also surviving are his siblings, Mike Murphy and Mary Connor and families.
Bill's family would like to recognize and thank the caring, dedicated staff of University Place for the many supports over the last 5 years
Bill's Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, December 22, 2025 at the Purdue University's Union Club (201 Grant St., West Lafayette, IN 47906) from 1 to 3 p.m.