John "Jack" Hugh Murphy's Obituary
John “Jack” Hugh Murphy, of Pleasant Hills, PA, passed away peacefully just after midnight on January 1, 2022 at the age of 81.
Survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Jean (Galardi) Murphy; two of his three children, Joe (Debbie) Murphy and Suzi (Larry) Zampogna; grandchildren, John and Justin Murphy, Steven and Amanda Murphy, Bailey and Tyler Sims; step-grandchildren, Matt and Josh Zampogna; brother, Tom (Cecie) Murphy; sisters, Peggy (Ron) Weiers and Pat (Ed) Kelley, and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Hugh and Margaret (Rohalley) Murphy, and his beloved son, Mike Murphy, who is dearly missed after his untimely passing two years ago.
Known for his brilliance, Jack was awarded a full scholarship to Carnegie Tech (CMU), after achieving a near perfect score on his SAT Math Test. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and scoring 40 points above the 99th percentile on his graduate record exam, CMU offered him a full paid assistantship through the National Science Foundation, and subsequently, he earned his Masters Degree and PhD in Engineering with a focus on Magnetohydrodynamics.
Soon after obtaining his doctoral degree, Jack was hired at Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, where he was awarded the Benjamin Garver Lamme Scholarship in 1973, and as a result, spent a year in Boston at the MIT Sloan School of Management completing a post-doctoral fellowship. During his career, he worked on nuclear reactors and submarines, and two main highlights of his time working for Bettis for him were his three-day ride on the USS Spadefish and his week-long trip on the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier. He retired from Bettis in 2005, the same year he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
As a boy, Jack built and raced his own Soap Box Derby car, and as an adult became director of the local Soap Box Derby, after which he joined the Control Board of the All American Soap Box Derby, where he designed and manufactured derby timers for other local directors across the country. He shared his love for the Derby with all three of his children and one of his grandchildren, who all built and raced their cars under his expert supervision.
Jack loved building and fixing things, was the MVP of Trivial Pursuit, and dominated every Hearts game, where he regularly slammed his opponents with 26 points. But his family will best remember him for the epic annual trips to Walt Disney World that he meticulously planned for everyone to enjoy.
Due to rising covid cases, a private service will be held for family only.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
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