Thomas Bartholomew Murphy

Tom was born on July 1, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised with his two brothers and four sisters in Hometown, Illinois. He attended Our Lady of Loretto Grammar School and St. Laurence High School. He was a recipient of the Evans Scholars Foundation scholarship, which covered four years of tuition and housing at Marquette University. There, he majored in Mathematics and minored in Economics. The stories he shared from his childhood, high school, and college years were fi lled with humor, mischief, and moments so unbelievable, they could have been written for a movie.

He also established many enduring friendships in his youth, and he cherished those friendships throughout his life.

He had a long and distinguished career with the U.S. Department of Defense. His career spanned thirty-four years. For most of that time, he was an explosives safety specialist. He continued to work in that field even upon retirement as a teacher and consultant. He was well known and respected for his technical expertise, common sense approach to explosives safety, and his willingness to help others.

He was a loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He prioritized helping and caring for his family. He did this in many practical ways. For example, he made sure that all of our vehicles were safe and properly maintained. He was truly dedicated to the happiness and success of his four granddaughters, Charlotte, Mackenzie, Reese, and Sage. He was an almost daily presence in their lives from the day they were each born. He will be remembered with so much love and missed immeasurably.

Tom was a lifelong and faithful Catholic. He served God by serving others. He was a member of the St. Mary’s Parish St. Vincent de Paul Society for many years. He always possessed an inherent drive to help his family, friends, acquaintances, and those in need in any way he could.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Bart and Maureen Murphy, née Ryan, and his brother, Patrick (the late Betsy) Murphy.

In addition to his granddaughters, he is survived by his faithful and loving wife of 48 years, Claudia Murphy, his son, Clint Russell, and his daughter, Janelle (Chris) Barnhill. He is also survived by his siblings, Cathy (the late Bill) O’Loughlin, Colleen (Bill) Bean, Denny Murphy, Eileen Freyer, Maureen (Mike) Erickson. He was

also the proud uncle of 15 nieces and nephews, and 19 great-nieces and great-nephews whom he deeply loved.

A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Vacaville, California, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.

A celebration of life will be held in Chicago on Saturday, August 1, at St. Barnabas Church 10134 S. Longwood Dr. Visitation will begin at 9:30 until Mass at 10:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of your choice in Tom’s name.