Jim

Early Life

George McWilliams Murphy was born July 23, 1929 in Detroit.

He would be called Mickey by all who knew him, until there were three George McWilliams in the family and having three Mickeys in the same family was too confusing. So later in life, he was called George again, but never to his spouse, siblings, or nieces and nephews.

The family spent summers in St. Clair. He undoubtedly spent many happy hours on the river, swimming and eating hot dogs.

High School

The Murphys moved back to Detroit when Mickey entered high school. .

Their house was directly across the street from De La Salle High School (the photo above) on Glenview Avenue, where handsome Mickey was a student.

Mickey loved piano music, especially jazz, and played piano by ear. He used to shimmy down a trellis that was outside his bedroom window and go to piano bars such as the Blue Note in downtown Detroit.

When the Murphys were moving out of this house, Patricia Nolan’s family was moving in. Coincidence or fate?

George McWilliams Murphy
High School Graduation 1947
De La Salle Collegiate

College in Florida
1947 – 1948

After graduating from high school, Mickey went to college for a year at the University of Miami in Florida. We are pretty sure that he majored in beach parties and girl watching that year in Florida!

Mickey moved back to Detroit (or was forced to come home?) and began working as a mechanic at Hess Cartage, where Grampa Murphy was a manager.

Engaged

Mickey was engaged to Patricia Jean Nolan (Pat). She was born on November 15, 1929 in Cincinnati.
Her family had moved to Detroit during the Great Depression.

This is Pat’s engagement picture.

Mickey Gets Married – 1950

Pat and Mickey were married in Detroit on May 20, 1950. The center photo is of Gramma and Grampa at the wedding.

Pat and Mickey moved into a brand new house in Dearborn after they got married.

Gotta love that dress Pat is wearing and the front end of their car!

In the early years of their marriage, Pat was busy having babies. Mickey worked and played golf (not necessarily in that order).

Pat and Mickey’s Children

**Patty** (McEveney)
B. Aug. 29, 1951
D. Aug 25, 2021

**Mick**
B. July 15, 1954
D. Sept. 21, 2017

**Kathleen (Tina**) (Marchetti)
Nov. 23, 1958

Two Sets of Kids – Set D and Set B

The babies in the top row (above) were born in Detroit (Set D). The babies in the bottom row were born in Bluffton (Set B). Through the years, it was often noted that there was a huge difference between the “culture” and childhood memories of the two sets – different interactions with their parents, different music, different social issues, etc.

Set A – Barbara, Patty, Kevin, and Mickey in photo from approximately 1958.

Most of Set B – Brian, Sean, and Harry in a phot from about 1970. Kathleen is missing, and it should be noted that she is often called Tina (since she was an infant), except by her parents, who almost always called her Kathleen.

Mickey’s older brother (Harry Joe) asked him to move from Detroit to run a business (stockyard) with him in Bluffton in the mid 1950s. It was either that, or Harry Joe wanted him to take over the business. This was not quite clear to the children. At any rate, they moved to Bluffton, Indiana in 1956, when Kevin was just a baby. If you ever saw the sitcom called Wonder Years, the subdivision they lived in – Riverview – was much like the one in the show.

In 1961 Mickey went to New York City and learned how to be a stock broker, which was his livelihood until 1970, when the market went kaplooey. The photo on the right shows him at his desk as a stockbroker.
The family moved back to Detroit in time for the 1970-71 school year. Mickey worked in car sales, becoming a star performer, first selling Chevrolets, then Chryslers, until he retired.

The Kids Grow Up

The photos below are the Murphy kids’ high school graduation pictures. Click on each picture to see what became of each of them.

Patty 1969

Barbara 1970

Mickey 1972

Kevin 1974

Kathleen 1977

Brian 1978

Harry 1980

Sean 1987

Mickey and Pat Become Gramma and Grampa

The kids starting getting married (details are on their individual pages), and the grandchildren starting coming. Slowly at first, then lots so that seemed like and explosion!

Their first granddaughter, Kelly Lynn McEveney, could not have been born on a better day! It was Pat and Mickey’s 26th anniversary, May 20, 1976.

By 1979, four grandchildren (pictured below in about 1981) had been born. From left to right, George McWilliams III (AKA “Little Mickey”) Murphy, Kelly McEveney, Ellyn Murphy, and Christopher McEveney. They belong to Mickey II and Patty.

By 1981 there were seven of them, born each year from 1976 through 1981 – three were Patty’s (Kelly, Chris, and Kim) and four were Mickey’s (Ellyn, Little Mickey, and the twins Justin and Erin.
Back row: Ellyn, Mickey, Kelly, Chris. Front row: Kim, twins Justin and Erin. These two families were complete! The photo above is from about 1984.

By the time the 21st century rolled around, there were 20 of them and a great-granddaughter!! This photo is from a family wedding . Standing in the back row are Danny Marchetti; Kim, Kelly, and Chris McEveney; George III (Insisting we call him George by then), twins Justin and Erin Murphy (George the 2nd kids); Scott Marchetti; and Sean Murphy II. Standing in the middle row are: Katie, Cate, Matt, and Mike Murphy (Cate is Brian’s, the others are Kevin’s triplets); and Kyle Marchetti. Seated or kneeling in the front are Molly Marchetti, Rosie, Bridget, and Maggie Murphy (Brian’s); Meaghan Marchetti; Taylor Shupe (George II’s granddaughter, Pat and Mickey’s great-granddaughter), and Sara Murphy (Sean’s). All Marchetti kids are Kathleen’s.

George II’s (Mickey) family had suffered a terrible tragedy in 1999 when they lost their beautiful Ellyn in a car accident. She was only 22, and her daughter, Taylor, a toddler. From then on, Mickey and Sue took on almost exclusive responsibility for raising Taylor. Ellyn and Taylor are in this photo.

The Murphy’s Law Years

Mickey acquired a 1941 Chris Craft day cruiser when they had moved back to Detroit. It was docked at Klenk’s Island off Altar Road and was only about 10 minutes from their house in Harper Woods. The Murphy clan spent many, many happy hours on this boat over the approximate 15 years that Mickey owned her.

In the photos above, Aunts Margaret and Ethel enjoy a ride, the little McEveney kids are ready to go, and a bunch of people are waiting to leave from the boathouse.

All the Murphy kids and grandkids loved Murphy’s Law. Above, Kelly McEveney is the captain. Pat and Sean are mugging for the camera while enjoying a ride on Lake St. Clair. On the right, Chris McEveney is not quite sure what to think about his first, and brief, stint as captain!

Above – Mickey, Joe Newton, and Uncle Don enjoying a beer on the boat.

Left – Mickey was never happier than when he sat in the Captain’s chair on Murphy’s Law. The rest of the Murphys and their guests were pretty happy as well!

Kathleen (Tina) and Brian working on their tans in about 1979.

Pat and Kathleen (Tina) catching some rays.

Above – Brian at the helm while Kim McEveney relaxes. Right – Gary Marchetti (Tina’s boyfriend), Tina, Barbara, and Brian enjoy a leisurely boat ride.

Mickey Turns Sixty!

The kids planned a surprise birthday party when Mickey turned 60 in July of 1989. The biggest surprise was the slide show they put together that chronicled his life! The photos below were created, pixel by pixel ,by a friend of Barbara’s who was years ahead of his time when it came to computers. At this time (1989), there was no software to alter photos. People (at least those near 60!) had never seen such a thing as the photos created for the presentation at this party using a Kodak Carousel slide projector. Son Mickey narrated the fabricated life story, and the resulting gales of uproarious laughter and applause from the delighted guests affirmed that the show was a success! Here is a sampling of the images included in this spectacular show.

The prom at De La Salle – 1946. Mickey (on left) and his date Lucille Ball and his best friend Lee (future owner of the Roostertail) with his date Marilyn Monroe.

Mickey becomes a
G-man, or something like that, after high school.

During his career, Mickey’s advice was sought after by leaders such as Reagan and Iacocca.

Near retirement, Mickey joined a professional ski team in Florida. Their shows were spectacular! Who can water ski and drink a beer at the same time? Mickey can!

This slide created perhaps the most laughter of any – Mickey as Archie Bunker., the star of All In The Family. It was almost impossible to tell the difference between Mickey and Carrol O’Conner.

All the Murphy kids at the 60th birthday party. From left, the boys: Harry, Sean, Kevin, Mickey II, and Brian. The girls: Kathleen (called Tina), Barbara, and Patty.

The Murphy Sisters

Murphy sibling – Ethel, Eileen, Mickey, and Margaret at Sean’s wedding, (Date

Murphy siblings – Margaret, Eileen, Ethel, and Mickey at the Anderson home, Journey’s End, in St. Clair, MI

Mickey and Eileen (year??) – brother and sister shared that bond and love that only siblings have.

Fiftieth Anniversary

Pat and Mickey celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2000. The kids threw a party at the Irish American Club in Corktown.

On the left, all of the Murphys crowded together for a group photo. At right. Mickey and Pat renewed their wedding vows.

Sadly, this was the last big party the family was to have before losing Pat to cancer in March of 2001, just before St. Patrick’s Day.

Missing Pat

Grampa spent a lot of time in Huron with Brian’s family. Here he is with Cate, Maggie, Rosie, and Bridget.

Here he is with his own boys – Mick, Kevin, Brian, Sean, and Harry.

Missing Pat for his remaining years, Mickey’s kids surrounded him, making sure he always had something to look forward to and that he was never alone for much time at all. Harry even moved in with him. When Harry bought a house in Sterling Heights, Mickey moved with him. The house even had a pool! Om the photo above, they gathered at Brian’s home in Huron to celebrate July birthdays.

Mickey with Patty and her girls, Kelly and Kimberly.