Nicholas Mulville Murphy

1936 - 2022

MURPHY

NICHOLAS MULVILLE MURPHY "Nick" (Age 86)

Of Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, DC, passed away quickly and peacefully on June 3, 2022, at Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital in Richmond, Virginia.



Notwithstanding his love of nicotiana tabacum, menthol Juul vapes (3%), gin martinis (built on the rocks), and Cutty Sark, none contributed to his demise; he succumbed to a rare and painless genetic blood disorder. Survivors include his daughter Cecile Fay, his son Nicholas S. Murphy, his favorite (and only) grandson Max Murphy, and his daughter-in-law Veena Luthra. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 47 years, Anka Murphy, his parents Dr. William and Gertrude Murphy, and his brothers Tony and Jerome Murphy. Surviving brothers are Stephen, Quentin, and Thomas Gregory Murphy. He was blessed to have so many nieces and nephews (including one named after him) that name tags were required at so many family reunions.



Nick was born on January 20, 1936, in Pelham, New York. He graduated with highest honors from Pelham High School in 1953. He was awarded a Navy ROTC scholarship to Princeton University and graduated in 1957. At Princeton he made lifelong friends with classmates Hodding Carter, Arbie Thalacker, Jim Connor, Wright Elliott and Warren Zweiback (Horsey), and spent a summer onboard the Battleship USS Wisconsin (before she was retrofitted with A/C). He left Navy flight school in Pensacola when told he would have to commit to five years (which he ended up serving after all) and was promptly exiled to the North Atlantic's floating rollercoaster, the USS Gainard, DDG - 706, which he adored. Next on his Navy adventure was Arabic and Turkish language school in Monterey, and he then served as a Navy intelligence officer in Turkey where he met, fell in love with, and married the daughter of the German ambassador. With Anka by his side, he embarked on a 30 year career as a Foreign Service Officer that took them to Beirut, Saudi Arabia, France, and Senegal, and, of course, many tours in Washington, DC, and an equal number of summers at Candlewood Lake Club, in Brookfield, Connecticut. Not content to settle into the quiet life, upon retirement he started a second career declassifying documents for the U.S. Department of State (DOS). Inspired by his son and daughter-in-law's law school experience, Nick enrolled at the University of Maryland Law School at the age of 60, attended classes at night while working at DOS during the day, and graduated with honors in 2000. He was admitted to the Maryland Bar that same year. He used his legal skills for the next 15 years, becoming a DOS authority on the Freedom of Information Act and was even called as an expert witness in the U.S. v. Bradley Manning trial. When it was finally time to relax, he moved to Westminster Canterbury in Richmond to be close to his son and grandson. He loved his martinis at 5 p.m. on the front porch. Nick was a handsome man who loved his fancy cars and dressed like Bond, or a Brooks Brothers model. He was kind, devoted to country, friends, and family, and stubborn to the end! Most will agree -- "No man is an island, but Nick Murphy was a long and skinny peninsula." His cremated remains, along with Anka's, will be placed at Arlington National Cemetery.