Peter Murphy

1948 - 2023

Peter Murphy
June 29, 1948 - January 12, 2023
Columbia, South Carolina - Peter L. Murphy, of Columbia, South Carolina, passed away on Thursday, January 12, 2023, at the age of 74. He was born on June 29, 1948, in the Bronx, New York, to John J. Murphy and Kathleen Stanton Murphy. He was one of seven siblings: John P. Murphy who predeceased him in 2018; Richard J. Murphy who predeceased him in 2015; Kevin B. Murphy who predeceased him in 2012; Michael J. Murphy who predeceased him in 2015; Deirdre Murphy Reilly who predeceased him in 2018; and Christopher J. Murphy who survives in Columbia, South Carolina, and lived with Peter for the last year of his life (What a saint!).
In his childhood, Peter spent much of his time playing basketball and rooting for "his" New York Yankees. But most of all, he enjoyed summers in Southampton, New York, jumping in the roaring waves on Cooper's Beach during a "red flag" day, a tradition he proudly carried on with his own kids years later. Peter graduated from Fordham University in 1970 with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and remained a politics fanatic for the rest of his life, even proclaiming his daughter would be the first female President (Sorry, Dad). Shortly after Fordham, Peter joined VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) and was assigned to the Olympia area in Columbia, South Carolina. After a year of service, he decided to attend law school at the University of South Carolina, and never left, successfully practicing law in the Palmetto state for 30 years.
He raised three children: Timothy Connor-Murphy, his "Timbo," who resides in Columbia, South Carolina; John Breckinridge Murphy, his "Big Guy," who resides in Statesboro, Georgia; and Elizabeth Murphy Scherer, his "Pea Pie," who resides in Jersey City, New Jersey, with her husband, Mason. In 2018, Peter was surprised and thrilled to discover through the genetic testing service 23 & Me that he had another daughter, Heather Scheer-Caban, who resides in Tampa, Florida, with her husband JR and her two children, Noah, 16, and Kate, 14.
Peter is also survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews and in-laws who will remember him for his Irish wit and incredible "gift of the gab", his deep laugh, larger-than-life sense of humor, love of history (always telling his children to "get the globe" or "grab the encyclopedia") and especially, for his big heart. Peter prided himself as being a plaintiff's attorney because "he wanted to help people, not corporations." He refereed basketball for children in The Special Olympics, after having coached both Tim and Breck's basketball teams for many years. He never missed any of his children's games, plays, recitals, and mock trials. He was passionate about family, music, his Irish heritage and of course, the YANKS!
Peter's family agreed that his last favored watering hole, The Thirsty Fellow, would be the perfect place for friends and family to come together in celebration of his life and partake in a final toast with a sip of Irish whiskey.
Saturday, January 28, 2023
From 3:00pm - 6:00pm
The Thirsty Fellow
621 Gadsden Street
Columbia, SC
"Sometimes a broken dream will make you sad or make you mean. Sometimes things ain't bad as they seem." - Gordon Lightfoot
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Peter's memory to Thirsty Fellow https://www.thirstyfellow.com or The Special Olympics https://support.specialolympics.org/a/donate-monthly-now?