Obituary of Thomas Murphy

Thomas John Murphy, 81, passed away at home on Sunday, November 4 from congestive heart failure. He is survived by his beloved wife, Maryann; children Kevin, Janine, Peter, and Trace; their respective spouses Colleen, Dean, Valli, and Amy; his grandchildren Aubrey, Max, Casey, Mariel, Maggie, Shannon, Haley, Luke, Jack, and Charlie; and his dearly loved nieces, nephews, cousins, and many friends. Tom was born March 29, 1931 in Lockport, NY to the late Matthew J. and Mary Frances (Tracy) Murphy, graduating from Lockport High School in 1948, from SUNY Brockport in 1952, and served in the U.S. Army from 1952-1953. He and Maryann Stadnicki married in 1956. His lengthy career in educational publishing began at McGraw-Hill in 1954 and continued at Holt, Rinehart, & Winston/CBS Educational Publishing in 1973, where he served as President of School Publishing. He went on to hold leadership positions at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and World Book. In 1983 he founded the consulting company Professional Publishing Services, through which he worked with various publishers and authors. Combining his publishing ability with his lifelong love of the visual arts, he also published the periodical Fine Art Posters International. To the many people whose lives he touched, Tom will always be remembered for his sense of humor, his passion for learning, books, and the arts, and his authentic love for all people. He will be profoundly missed. Funeral services will be held Thursday 9:00 A.M. from the Farrell Funeral Home 110 Franklin Square New Britain, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 A.M. at St. Paul's Church Kensington. Burial will follow in St. Mary Cemetery, New Britain. Visitation will be Wednesday from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. at the funeral home. Donations in lieu of flowers to Doctors without Borders, www.doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/tribute.cfm.