James "Murph" Paul Murphy Sr.

James Paul "Murph" Murphy, Sr., 79, of Ottawa, passed away on Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford.

Visitation will be Saturday, January 6, 2024 from 12:00pm until 3:00pm at Ottawa Funeral Home. A funeral ceremony will follow at 3:00pm at the funeral home. Cremation rites have been entrusted to Ottawa Funeral Home.

James was born October 29, 1944, in Ottawa, IL, to Francis and Phyllis (Morganflash) Murphy. He graduated from Marquette High School in 1963. He then served from 1965-1967 as a specialist 4th class in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He married Patricia Lewis on June 21, 1969 in St. Patrick's Church in Ottawa. Together they were blessed with three loving children. He worked for Borg-Warner and GE Plastics and retired in 2001. In his free time, he loved fishing and spending time with his family and his beloved Ama Mae and Sam. He was a member of the Moose, American Legion, Knights of Columbus, and was the commander of the VFW.

Today he is survived by his children, James (Missey) Murphy Jr., Margaret (Scott) Loughry, and John (Amanda) Murphy; his grandchildren, Johnathan (Toni) Robinson and Nikita (Ethan) Novak; his great granddaughter, Paisley Rae Novak; his sisters, Patricia Mitchell and Shirley (Bill) Veith; as well as his nieces and nephews, James and Kimberly Taylor, Kelleigh and Karleigh Veith, and Patrick Mitchell.

He was preceded in death by parents and his loving wife.

Memorials may be directed to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.