MURPHY, Frank Minor

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Saturday, March 19, 2011 Frank Minor Murphy, 94, died on March 16, 2011, at the Prescott VA Hospice. He was born on Feb. 21, 1917, in Traverse City, Mich. Caught in the Great Depression, the family moved to San Antonio, Texas, and eventually, Phoenix, Ariz. Here he rode broncs in rodeos, joining the U.S. Navy in January 1938. As a Pearl Harbor survivor, he fought in many major battles in the South Pacific. Mainly he served on destroyers - one year with Carlson's Raiders, one year on subs and again on destroyers in the Korean conflict. He received the Silver Star, the Purple Heart and 16 other medals. He retired in Phoenix on Oct. 12, 1959, as an electrician. In Prescott, he met and married Elizabeth (Betty) Paleski and helped raise her two children, Vladimir and Tanya. He later retired from the U.S. Postal Service, then worked as a deputy for Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. Frank was an avid outdoorsman. Survivors include his wife, Betty; stepchildren, Val Paleski (Kathy) of Flagstaff, Ariz., and Tanya Paleski-Smith (Russ) of Ft. Collins, Colo.; sister Bonita Boyer of Alturas, Calif.; nephews Rocky and Kirk Boyer of California and New Mexico. He was predeceased by his sister, Doris Eng. Frank requested that there be no services. Hampton Funeral Home assisted the family. Please visit www.hamptonfuneralhome.com to visit and sign the online guestbook. Information provided by survivors.