Jay Philip Murphy

1932 - 2020

Jay Philip Murphy
August 11, 1932 - August 28,2020
Jay Philip Murphy, civil engineer, passed away peacefully on August 28, 2020 in Oakland, CA. He was 88.

Jay was the eldest son of J. Philip and Florence (Toss) Murphy, brother of Jean and Roger Murphy, and Judy Ortman.

Jay attended Our Lady of Lourdes in Oakland, Saint Ignatius HS in San Francisco and graduated in 1957 from Santa Clara University with a BS in Civil Engineering. He served in the US Army as a Private First Class topographic surveyor at Ft. Belvoir Virginia.

Jay worked with his father in the family business, Murphy Pacific Co., which built the Richmond-San Rafael, Benicia-Martinez and San Mateo-Hayward bridges in the Bay Area, the Coronado Bridge in San Diego, the Fremont Bridge in OR, and the Glen Canyon Bridge in AZ. Jay later served as chairperson of dispute review boards on Caltrans projects, and worked as an engineering consultant, including on such projects as the eastern span replacement of the San-Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, until his retirement.

Jay was a gifted storyteller and he always spoke fondly of the Murphy family's history: his grandfather, Daniel Cornelius Murphy, was a labor leader, State Senator, and Sheriff of San Francisco, and his father Phil, a Master Bridge Builder, was named a Knight of Malta in 1953 by Pope Pius XII.

Jay had a deep love of the Tahoe area where he met his wife, Louise (Forsyth, MT). They married at Corpus Christi Church, Tahoe City, in 1966. He was an avid skier and fondly remembered attending the 1960 Winter Olympics.

Jay also made his mark on the Lake Tahoe and national hydroplane racing scene in the 1950s. The BREATHLESS, a shiny 7-liter brilliant blue Hydroplane, driven by both Jay and his brother Roger, placed in several Gold Cup races.

Jay was most proud of the accomplishments of his beloved five daughters: Elizabeth, Ellen, Eileen, Emily, and Edith.

He is survived by his wife, Louise and his five daughters, his seven grandchildren, William, Jack, Colin, Aiden, Justin, Sophie and Max, his sister Judy Ortman, and sons-in-law Alan, Dave and Jason.

A private burial will be held Thursday, September 10, 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary cemetery in Oakland.