Thomas Murphy (11/13/1938 — 12/31/2019)

 

 

 
 

 

November 13, 1938 – December 31, 2019

 

Tom Murphy, formerly Brother Benedict Faber, died on December 31, 2019. He took the Religious Habit on 9/7/1955. He was from Good Shepherd Parish in the Inwood section of New York City. He taught at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo, New York, followed by St. Patrick’s High School in Newburgh, NY and then Lincoln Hall. He withdrew from the Institute in 1972. He then taught at Mahopac High School.

Thomas A. Murphy, 81, a Union Vale resident since 1994 and previously of Somers for 30 years.

Born on November 13, 1938 in Manhattan, Thomas was the son of Thomas and Bridget (Curtin) Murphy. On May 5, 1974 in Somers, Tom married Bernadette Waldron who predeceased him on August 2, 2008.

Tom was a teacher at Mahopac High School for 35 years until his retirement in 2000. He also coached Track and Field and JV Football. He was a beloved EMS Captain, Past Assistant Chief of the Rescue Squad, and Life Member of the Union Vale Fire Department where he was a friend to all and a role model to many. Tom was an elections inspector for the Board of Elections and an avid Army Football, NY Giants and Notre Dame fan. He was a parishioner of St. Denis Church where he was a Eucharistic Minister at Mass and at the Wingate at Dutchess, and member of the RCIA Program.

He is survived by his life partner, Patricia Taranto; his children, Catherine Glover and her husband, Philip of Norfolk, VA, Beth McLeary and her husband Joseph of Memphis, TN, and Janet Almasi and her husband Peter of Hyde Park; his grandchildren, Christopher Reid and his wife Jillian, Emma Sweeney, Hannah Sweeney and Murphy McLeary; his great grandchildren, Elijah, Adriana, Victoria and Lorenzo Reid; and his siblings, Joseph Murphy and Kay Tully. Tom was predeceased by his sons, John Sweeney on May 4, 2013 and David Sweeney on May 10, 2011.

 
       
 

 

From Tom's SJCI '67 students:

 

 
  "... one of my favorite teachers"  
   "Saddened to hear that he's no longer with us"  
   "One of the two best instructors I had throughout all of High School and College ... His teaching style and skill influenced my career choice"  
   "... he epitomized the ethos of "teach them to think." That became my approach, and I shall always remember him, and be grateful to him for that"  
  "He drove the team bus (manual transmission). He also operated the basketball time clock when it was broke. Pressure packed, standing room only …"   
   "At our 40th reunion, I mentioned to him, “I’ll have my Math homework for you next week, I promise!”
He told me, "Sperrazza, I taught you Chemistry!" A great Teacher ..."
 
   "He was a giant of a guy with a big heart that scared the be Jesus out of you but yet will always be in my memory of being a kind and gentle man who encouraged all of us that you can be what ever you want to be.He was a great force in my life."  
   "Wonderful teacher, big influence on my choice of college ... RIP Brother (maybe not a Christian Brother any longer, but still a brother to those of us he influenced)"  
   
 
 
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