Thomas Ignatius Murphy III

Thomas Ignatius Murphy III, 57 of Newbury, passed away on Thursday, December 6th, 2018 surrounded by family following a 2 year strong and courageous battle with cancer.  Tom is survived by his beloved wife Maria Palumbo, together for 11 loving years and his children Kathryn Murphy, Mackenzie Griffin and significant other William Beach II, Gwynnethe and MarkAnthony Glickman, sister Cynthia Murphy and husband Scott Kloster of Auburn, Maine, brother Michael Murphy and wife Allison of Redding, CT, sister- in- law Sheila Royston Murphy and husband Steve Meier of Vienna, VA, and uncle of Hailey, Connor, Julia, Patrick, Kevin and Maeve Murphy and numerous aunts and uncles.  He was predeceased by his parents Thomas I Jr. and Nancy B Murphy, and brother Peter Murphy.

Tom was born on Long Island New York and as a young child moved to Lewiston, Maine with his family. He grew up enjoying Maine’s lakes, mountains and the ocean as an avid hiker, snow and water skier.  Tom graduated from Lewiston High School where he was a standout soccer player and ski jumper.  He continued his education at Saint Michael’s College where he graduated with an Economics degree and was Junior Class President and an accomplished four-year Varsity Soccer player.

To his friends “Murph” will be remembered as a great friend and a fiercely competitive soccer teammate, unmatched in the legendary memories he left behind and as an “off the trail” ski enthusiast with a passion for going outside the boundaries.  A lifelong athlete, Tom excelled at all sports, but his true passions were soccer and skiing, which he passed on to his children. His real joy came from years of coaching as a long time certified Youth Soccer Coach in Reading, MA and teaching the finer points of the game to Kathryn, Gwynnethe and MarkAnthony in order to develop their own soccer careers; even through his illness he still attended and was a big supporter of Triton Regional High School soccer.  Tom was able to impart this determination to his children which he displayed to be successful in business and in life.

He had a long and accomplished career as a territory sales manager in the material handling industry, earning numerous local and national sales awards and worked for over 15 gratifying years with Brodie Toyota Lift in North Andover, MA.  He developed great friendships at work and within the industry by building long-lasting relationships with his clients and colleagues and because he was mechanically inclined he loved the challenge of creating unique solutions to their challenges.

Nothing brought Tom greater pleasure than living the summer months and weekends on Plum Island.  He used his engineering skills to research and created an elaborate system for trapping beach sand and restoring the dunes around his home; it became a family affair each spring and fall. The beauty and serenity of the beach brought him great comfort and peace during his illness as well as learning the extensive history of Newburyport through reading an endless selection of books.

Family and friends may call on Friday December 14th, 2018 from 4:00-8:00PM at Twomey, LeBlanc & Conte Funeral Home 193 High Street, Newburyport, MA. parking available behind the Funeral Home. His Funeral Mass will be held at Immaculate Conception Church 42 Green Street, Newburyport, MA at 9AM on Saturday December 15th, 2018, guests are asked to go directly to Church. Burial will be private at a later date.

In lieu of flowers please send a donation to the Thomas Ignatius Murphy III Soccer & Athletic Memorial Fund at TD Bank North 51 State Street Newburyport, MA or through Zelle with the email thomasignatiusmemorial@gmail.com

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