William Tayloe Murphy Jr.

MURPHY, William Tayloe, Jr., age 88, of King Copsico Farm, died on September 15, 2021.

He was predeceased by his parents, Katherine Bradford Griffith and William Tayloe Murphy; his wife of 63 years, Helen Turner Murphy; his son-in-law, Palmer Caton Douglas; his sister, Ann Lemoine Murphy Dameron and her husband, Zachariah Courtney Dameron Jr. He is survived by his daughter, Anne Carter Braxton Murphy Brumley; his son-in-law, Robert Haywood Brumley III; and grandchildren, Blake Woodson Douglas, Campbell Grayson Brumley, Robert Haywood Brumley IV and John Tayloe Lewis Brumley. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Katherine Turner Mears; and several nieces and nephews, Katherine Braxton Dameron, Zachariah Courtney Dameron III, Tayloe Murphy Dameron, Benjamin W. Mears III, Price Mears Clarke and Mariah Nottingham Mears.

A native Virginian, Mr. Murphy was born on January 9, 1933, in Emmerton, Virginia. He attended Warsaw High School and graduated from Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, Virginia. He received his bachelor's degree from Hampden-Sydney College prior to graduating from the U.S. Naval Officer

Candidate School in Rhode Island. He subsequently served in the Navy aboard the U.S.S. Newport News and on the Staff of the Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic (NATO). He married Helen Turner in Richmond, Virginia in 1956.

Following his military service, Mr. Murphy entered the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a member of the editorial board of the Virginia Law Review. Mr. Murphy graduated in 1960 and joined the law firm Hunton & Williams (now Hunton Andrews Kurth) in Richmond. He returned to the Northern Neck and King Copsico Farm on the shores of the Potomac in 1964 to practice law, where he focused his law career on real estate, tax and trust and estate planning. He was a widely recognized expert in Virginia estate law.

From 1982 to 2000, Mr. Murphy was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing his beloved Northern Neck. He sponsored numerous bills aimed at protecting Virginia's natural resources, in particular the Chesapeake Bay. Among his legislative accomplishments were the adoption of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act and the Water Quality Improvement Fund. The former instituted water quality protection standards in local development decisions and the latter has provided millions of dollars to state agencies, local governments, farmers and others for pollution reduction work.

In 2002, then Governor (now Senator) Mark Warner appointed Mr. Murphy as Secretary of Natural Resources. He served until the conclusion of the Warner Administration. He considered his role as Secretary the most important and cherished position of his career.

Throughout his years as a delegate and Secretary, Mr. Murphy was known for his passion, determination and gentility. He was held in only the highest regard by all of those who served alongside him. Mr. Murphy was active in the Episcopal Churches of Cople Parish, where he served as Senior Warden,

member of the Vestry, Lay Eucharist Minister and Treasurer of the Yeocomico Cemetery Fund. He was a member and officer of the boards of many institutions, including the Northern Neck Bar Association, Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society, the Menokin Foundation and the Chesapeake Bay

Foundation. Of special regard and fondness to Mr. Murphy was his 55 years of service with what began as Northern Neck State Bank and over a series of evolutions became part of the Union Bank & Trust Company, now Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation. Mr. Murphy served in a variety of roles with Union, including Vice Chairman. Mr. Murphy and his father both served as a director of Northern Neck State Bank when it was a local institution.

Mr. Murphy was the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Virginia Bar Association's Gerald L. Baliles Distinguished Service Award. In 2019, Mr. Murphy, along with his wife, Helen, received the Outstanding Virginian Award, an award established by the Virginia General Assembly. The award noted the Murphys' "legacy as devoted environmentalists."

Mr. Murphy treasured his King Copsico Farm home, enjoyed history and telling stories to an audience large or small and, above all, loved his family. He was the quintessential Virginia Gentlemen whose calm, yet persistent nature selflessly promoted the wellbeing of the Commonwealth, its natural resources and its citizens. A remarkable man of humility, an incomparable conservationist who helped preserve his beloved Virginia and his beloved Chesapeake Bay for future generations to enjoy and cherish, Mr. Murphy will be remembered by all as one of the best among us.

An outdoor service celebrating Mr. Murphy's life will be held on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at 11 a.m. at Yeocomico Episcopal Church, 1233 Old Yeocomico Road, Kinsale, Virginia 22488. The family requests that those attending wear a mask or practice social distancing.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Episcopal Churches of Cople Parish, P.O. Box 249, Kinsale, Virginia 22488.