Donald Joseph Murphy

1951 - 2023

Donald Joseph Murphy

Dec. 10, 1951 - June 4, 2023

  CROWN POINT, IN - Donald Joseph Murphy of Crown Point, Indiana, passed away on June 4, 2023, at the age of 71 leaving behind a legacy of quiet generosity that expands far beyond anyone will ever know and helped change the lives of countless people.

  Don was born December 10, 1951, to parents Donald Vincent Murphy and Laverne (Reichenbach) Murphy and was raised in southern California where he graduated from Cerritos High School in 1970.

  From the time he was young, Don learned the value and importance of hard work and perseverance, traits he carried with him throughout his life. His impressive list of professions ranged from being a short order cook to a casino blackjack dealer and started with his first job driving an ice-cream truck where was fired from the job after just one day for giving away ice-cream to children who couldn't pay for it.

  Don had a knack for business and willingness to take a risk that resulted in the ownership of a wide variety of businesses over the past 20 years. He passed his knowledge and talent for business onto his children which made him proud.

  His friends and family members will always remember the way Don would laugh and laugh at the same part of a movie regardless of how many times he had seen it before. He cooked the best breakfasts and he made the most amazing scrambled eggs ever. He had a style all his own that included nothing but jeans, cargo shorts, t-shirts, windbreakers but no matter what, he never left the house without wearing a hat that donned his favorite sports team at the moment.

  Don loved being able to coach his kids' and grandkids' baseball teams and he helped sponsor their teams as well as many, many other youth sports teams throughout the years. He took Fantasy Football (among others things) way too seriously sometimes and his extreme competitiveness was passed down to way too many of his kids and grandkids.

  Don is survived by his five children, Ryan (Danae) Murphy of Monterey, California; Cari (Clayton) Doutre of Tremonton, Utah; Kevin (Jackie) Murphy of Denton, North Carolina; Megan (Tony) Thompson of Cedar Lake, Indiana and Molly Murphy of Crown Point, Indiana.

  He is survived by his 11 grandkids who were the greatest joy in his life and he was so proud of each and every one of them; Kelsey Murphy (22), Avery Doutre (20), Kaitlin Murphy (19), Morgan Murphy (17), Addy Doutre (16), Carter Thompson (13), Chase Thompson (11), Grady Doutre (11), Mila Murphy (9), Clint Thompson (9), Chad Walker Thompson (6) and Chloe Cantrell (1).

  Don is also survived by his favorite sister, Kathleen Murphy who conveniently arrived just in time to steal his thunder on his 7th birthday. He never let her forget that either.

  Don is preceded in death by his parents and brothers Greg Murphy and Kenny Murphy.

  Funeral services will be held on Sunday, June 11, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. at GEISEN FUNERAL HOME located at 606 E. 113th Ave., in Crown Point, Indiana. A visitation will be held prior to the funeral service from 2-5 p.m. at the same location.

  In lieu of flowers, keep Don's legacy of generosity going and donate to one of the many charities that he helped support throughout the years.

  Visit Don's online guestbook at www.GeisenFuneralHome.com 219-663-2500.