MURPHY, Dennis Jerome (D.J.)

The White Mountain Independent, Show Low, Arizona ~ 05/03/2013 Dennis Jerome “D.J.” Murphy, beloved husband, brother, father and grandfather, died April 20, 2013. He was born Jan. 28, 1938, in Chicago, Ill. As the oldest sibling of nine children, D.J. possessed a natural affinity for responsibility. From the time he was 12 years old until he was 65, D.J. worked. Beginning with his job as a paperboy, D.J. paved his way through various other forms of employment, from social work to teaching (both in the high school setting and in the medical setting) and consultant work. Interspersed among his many jobs, he also earned a bachelor’s degree from Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, and a master’s in social work from the University of Iowa. It was in the Quad Cities that he met and married the love of his life, Sarah Gowan. Always up for a new adventure, D.J. had met someone who could match him pace for pace. Together, they shared a life of love, joy and friendship and combined their families to enjoy the entertainment that was sure to come with eight kids and twenty-three grandkids, many who shared the same unique sense of humor as D.J. Traveling across the country, D.J.’s love of life had him undertaking many different endeavors – from leading motivational seminars to becoming a volunteer EMT in the Alpine Fire Department to creating the most beautiful wood craftsmanship – from canoes for his love of outdoors to cradles and rocking horses that his grandchildren will treasure always. All of these experiences finally culminated in allowing him to achieve his lifelong goal, becoming a published writer. His novel, “Requiem for the Puppet Master,” was published in the fall of 2012. D.J. lived the remainder of his life in Boerne, Texas, where he continued his love of the outdoors and the quaintness of small towns. Prior to his death, D.J. was working on another novel. No matter where D.J. lived his life or what adventure he was embarking upon, one thing remained the same: He loved and was loved. D.J. is survived by his wife Sarah Gowan; daughters: Betsy Skattie (Doug) of Tucson, Sue Cope (Mark) of Dallas and Maria Duncan (Jim) of Madison; son Sean Murphy (Kathy) of Des Moines; stepdaughters: Lisa Ramirez (Issac) of El Paso and Debbie Hawkins (Travis) of Cypress; stepsons Thomas Gowan (Suzanne) of San Antonio and Gregory Gowan (Crystal) of Corpus Christi; and 23 grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings Tom Murphy, Kathy Sheridan, Michael Murphy, Terry Murphy, Teresa Cozens, Molly Sutton, Dan Murphy; and sisters-in-law Teena Sandstrom and Carolyn Wittrup. He was preceded in death by his sister Pat. A celebration of D.J.’s life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18, in Alpine at the Luna Lake Campground (large pavilion). In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made by donation to the Alpine Fire Department.