Bobby Gene Murphy

Bobby Gene Murphy, age 93, passed peacefully from his earthly home in Gainesville to his eternal home in heaven, already prepared for him by his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, on December 4, 2021, following an extended illness.

A celebration of life service will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday, December 9, 2021, in the chapel at Memorial Park Funeral Home.  Rev. Phil Carpenter will officiate.  Burial will follow in the Memorial Park Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Memorial Park Funeral Home from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Wednesday, December 8, 2021.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association or Eagle Ranch.

Bobby was born March 1, 1928, in Winder, Georgia, to James Melvin Murphy and Belle Cronic Murphy.  He was the youngest of their three boys.  Bobby grew up during the hard days of the Great Depression on a sharecropping farm.  While poor materially, he felt richly blessed by God to be in a Christian family that loved one another and laughed together a lot.

Bobby accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior during a summer revival at age 14 and was baptized in a creek.  He then made Jesus the Lord of his life and tried to live to please Him.  Bobby was a member of Chestnut Mountain Baptist Church and the Upper Room Sunday School Class.

Bobby graduated from Winder High School in 1945 and joined the United States Navy the following year.  He served on the U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Bobby’s tour of duty on the aircraft carrier took him to the Mediterranean Sea with stops that included Portugal, Italy, and Greece.

God gave Bobby a passion for drawing and great artistic talent that he used to glorify the Lord and bless others. When his military service ended, Bobby enrolled in classes at the High Museum School of Art in Atlanta.  This led to a job offer from the Advertising Art Director at the Atlanta Journal, which later became the Atlanta Journal & Constitution. He worked there for 41 years and retired as Advertising Art Director on March 1, 1990, at age 62.

Bobby loved God and his family dearly.  He cared for his parents and his brother, Billy.  Bobby greatly enjoyed collecting original comic strip art throughout his life.  His favorite was an action-adventure comic strip called Terry and the Pirates.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his elder brothers, Vernon Murphy and Billy Murphy, along with Vernon’s wife, Dayron Hanes Murphy, and his niece’s husband, Gary Grant.

Bobby is survived by his beloved niece, Becky Grant of Chestnut Mountain; nephew and wife, Stan and Tracy Murphy of Gillsville; great nephew and wife, Scott and Lisa Grant of Pendergrass; great niece and husband, Amy and Chris Durrence of Chestnut Mountain; great nephew, Cody Murphy of Gillsville; great-great nieces and nephews, Sarah Durrence, Grant Durrence, Anna Grant, Rebecca Grant, Samuel Grant, and David Grant.

The family sincerely thanks everyone from Hospice of Northeast Georgia Health System that cared for Bobby with skill, kindness, and compassion.

Memorial Park Funeral Home, 2030 Memorial Park Road, Gainesville, GA  30504 is in charge of arrangements.

Send online condolences to www.memorialparkfuneralhomes.com