John Claire Murphy
John Claire Murphy of Portersville went to be with his Lord and Savior on Wednesday. As he passed from time into eternity, he was surrounded by his devoted family while they sang hymns, read Scripture and prayed. John's fatal injuries were suffered while he was enjoying one of his many hobbies, hunting.
Born April 17, 1932, in Cooper, Iowa, John was the eighth and final child of Roy and Clara Murphy. After high school graduation, he put himself through college, first at Simpson College and then Iowa State University earning a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering in 1953. After college, he served his country in the U.S. Army, working with the Army Corps of Engineers as a surveyor from 1953 to 1955 in Heidelberg, Germany.
John is survived by his beloved wife, Nancy Elizabeth Creasy Murphy, who he married June 14, 1958, in Pittsburgh. He loved and cared for her for 58 wonderful years. He also was the most caring and devoted father to three daughters, Claire Knolle of Marietta, Ohio, Megan (Kevin) Vance of Natrona Heights and Beth (David) Superdock of Newmanstown, Pa. He was grandfather to 10 grandchildren, Jonathan, Joanna and Jesse Vance, Matthew, Joshua, Sophia and Renee Knolle, and David, Andrew and Leanne Superdock. John was privileged to live to see the birth of three great-grandsons, Jonathan, Peter and Eli John Vance. Besides his immediate family, he is survived by his sister, Wilma Lumsdon of Ottumwa, Iowa, and other nieces and nephews in the Midwest whom he loved to visit.
John was employed as a professional engineer by Pittsburgh Des-Moines Steel Co., rising to the rank of vice president of engineering. He traveled the world working on many specialized uses of engineering principles, such as seawater desalinization and many pressure vessel designs, including wind tunnel, cryogenics and other applications. During his time with the company, John traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and all over the world. His career took him to Australia, Indonesia, Japan, India, Algeria, most of Europe and the United Kingdom. John's experience working for PDM was very satisfying, both personally and professionally. John retired from PDM in 1993, after having spent 37 years with the company.
In his free time, he devoted much time as a volunteer, including chairing the board of the McCandless Township Sanitary Authority. He and his family resided in the North Hills area of Pittsburgh, but he kept his P.E. license active even after he and Nancy retired to the Portersville area in 1995, where he also volunteered with Worth Township as an S.E.O.
In his retirement years, John enjoyed restoring antique tractors, participating in tractor pulls, tinkering on anything mechanical, hunting and woodworking. He also engaged in many meaningful conversations and enjoyed listening to talk radio. He delighted in encouraging his grandchildren to make the most of their talents and opportunities. For many years, John volunteered with the Slippery Rock Food Bank. Above all, John loved to praise and thank the Lord, always remembering those who “labored that we might have food to eat.” He also cherished and served his church families at Mars Alliance Church and most recently Highland Presbyterian Church in Slippery Rock.
Preceding him in death were his parents, Roy and Clara Murphy; his brothers, Jay, De Roy and Richard; and his sisters, Floy Brown, Grace Johnson and Bessie Murphy.
MURPHY — Viewing for John Claire Murphy, who died Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, will be from 6 to 9 p.m. today at the Smith Funeral Home, 421 New Castle St., Slippery Rock.Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Highland Presbyterian Church, 310 Franklin St., Slippery Rock.The family requests in lieu of flowers, charitable donations may be made to the Highland Presbyterian Church Mission Fund.
