WALTER J. MURPHY Jr.

MURPHY WALTER J. MURPHY, JR. (Age 84) On Thursday, June 25, 2015, of Rockville, MD. Beloved husband of Joan Welch Murphy; father of Kevin (Mary), Christopher, Brendan (Gail) and Colin (Traci) Murphy; grandfather of Delia, Owen, Patrick, Ian, Keira, Mallory, Brian and Finn; brother of the late Joan Murphy Kopf. Relatives and friends may call at Holy Cross Church, 4900 Strathmore Avenue, Garrett Park, MD, on Thursday, July 2, starting at 9:30 a.m. where Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:30 a.m. Interment Private. Memorial contributions may be made to Gonzaga College High School, 19 Eye Street NW, Washington, DC 20001. Born in New York City, Walter moved to Washington in 1943. He graduated from St. Michael's Parish School in Silver Spring, and then attended Gonzaga High School where he captained the golf team. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1953. After completing law school at Georgetown University, Walter married Joan Welch of Chevy Chase, Maryland in 1958. They began married life in Bethesda and then moved to their home in Rockville, where they lived together for 48 years. Walter practiced law for over thirty years with his father-in-law, J. Harry Welch and life long friend, Jim Welch at the firm of Welch Murphy & Welch. Walter practiced with the law firm, Carr Goodson & Lee, before retiring in 1999. He had several hundred trials and scores of appellate cases over his long career, including some precedent-setting cases. Additionally, he served as the Alternate Chairman of the D.C. Mental Health Commission. Walter was honored by the D.C. Defense Lawyers as their Lawyer of the Year in 1990. He was a proud fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and of the International Society of Barristers. Locally, he was a member of the Barristers and the Counselors, serving as president of the Counselors in 1978-79. He is remembered by many younger lawyers as an extraordinary mentor. He was "a gentleman and a scholar", devoted to his Catholic faith, and his family.He was "a gentleman and a scholar", devoted to his Catholic faith, and his family. www.COLLINSFUNERALHOME.com