The cancer that comes from the pits of hell can no longer touch Larry R. Murphy, age 70, of York Township, York, who entered his cancer- free eternal joy Monday, December 2, 2024, at his residence. He was the husband of Barbara M. (Vowles) Murphy.

Born January 30, 1954, in York, son of the late Frederick L. and Anna (Miller) Murphy, he was a graduate of Thompson’s Business College.  Then while working full time, he went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree at York College of Pennsylvania, in accounting.  He retired as Controller for Fox Pools and, after retirement, worked for Keystone Truck Service Parts. He attended Spry Church.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Murphy is survived by three stepchildren, Joel D. Crowl, and his wife Kathy, of York Haven, Brian D. Crowl, and his wife Tracey, of York, and Beverly J. Crowl, and her fiancé Jeremy Wisner, of Lewisberry; eight grandchildren, Tyler, Justin, and Travis Crowl, Samantha and Carter Strausbaugh, and Collin, Aiden, and Ethan Crowl; four great grandchildren; and two brothers, Ronald L. Murphy and Reginald Murphy. He was also preceded in death by a brother, Lowell Murphy; and a sister, Esther Heilman. And numerous very special nieces and nephews.

But who was this man? He was a family man, who threw his whole being into the best stepdad, grandpa, great grandpa, brother, son, son-in-law, and uncle, and great uncle.  Family encompassed his whole life, and even moving right after refinancing his house, just for he and his wife to be closer to grandchildren. He also moved so that his mother and father-in-law had quarters connected to the house so that they would be close, yet were able to be independent.  Who does that!  Larry did.  Who installs a swimming pool where many of the grandkids learned to swim, but Larry never quite learned himself.  Whenever his family needed him, he stepped up, to do his best to help.

Up until the last minute he was able, there were no school events, plays, graduations, ceremonies, whatever involved the grandkids, he would miss.  He was going to be there.  Sporting events??  Rarely did he miss a sporting event, especially for three of his grandsons that were involved in any sport that had its own uniform. They were highlights for him and outweighed anything else in importance.  Always.  There will be an empty seat at too many events in the future.

His friendships went deep, and you could count on him to be a great friend, and he had a heart for not only his friends, but the whole crop that came along with his wife, Barb. 

Now about his sense of humor.  Very few people could match the humor he brought into the world.  Witty and sometimes raw, but not in an obscene way, he was just plain funny.  He so enjoyed setting up funny things for family gatherings.  And his prayers were respectful, yet entertaining, and he was sincere about his love of his Lord.  But sometimes you could just see God shaking his head and saying “Mr Murphy…”.  One mealtime, after a very long day on the phone at work, he bowed his head and said “Larry Murphy speaking.” We were pretty sure God knew who it was.

His humility came out in ways where he would be in the background, quietly making sure everything ran smoothly.  He’d give credit to others for a lot that he orchestrated.  

He enjoyed golfing and building some wonderful things for the house. He loved holding swim parties and filling the tables with lots of good food.  Mowing was something he really enjoyed, and his wife was always concerned he may start to do “drive-by” mowings throughout the neighborhood. It was very relaxing for him.

 Capable of so many things, he was nicknamed, McGyver, Grillmaster, among others.  His potato salad, Bury burgers and breakfast casseroles will just never quite taste the same when we try to make them. 

In fact, no event is ever going to be the same without him. We’ll carry on, and hope his spirit, (not the spooky kind, but his personality) will be in attendance, and we can rejoice in the fact that the suffering is truly gone for him.

The single most important thing to him, was to know that his loved ones and friends all become residents in Heaven with him someday, through His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  No one and nothing was more important to him than Jesus.

A Celebration of Life will be scheduled in the spring. Kuhner Associates Funeral Directors, Inc., 863 South George Street, York, is in charge of arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Spry Church, 50 School Street, York PA 17402; or Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, PO Box 20100, Atlanta GA 30325.