Longtime St. Jerome deacon

ROBERT MURPHY - 1923-2009

When parishioners at St. Jerome Catholic Church were in the hospital or at a nursing home, they knew they could count on getting communion from the North Side church's longtime parish deacon, Robert Murphy.

"On Sundays, he would be gone for hours," said his son Brian. "He would not only go to give communion, but he would also sit and visit people. If someone would need a new belt or something like that, he would take care of it. It was always communion and conversation. That was a real big part of his ministry."

As a lawyer, Mr. Murphy, also helped numerous parishioners with legal matters.

Mr. Murphy died Monday after suffering a stroke following a fall. He was 86.

Mr. Murphy was born in Downstate Bloomington, where he attended the former Trinity High School.

He attended Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, before enlisting in the Marines during World War II.

He fought in the Battle of Okinawa and rose to the rank of corporal by the end of his service.

After the war, he completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame, where he also earned his law degree.

While studying at Notre Dame, he met his future wife, Ann Christian, who attended nearby St. Mary's College.

They married in 1951 and had 11 children.

That's the year he began his law career; he was active in the profession until he was about 80. For most of those years, he represented petitioners in workers compensation cases.

"One thing that he was extremely proud of was that as a deacon and a lawyer, as families came through St. Jerome parish who were not citizens, he would work with immigration lawyers to help them," Brian Murphy said. "He was instrumental in getting them set up as documented aliens, and many of them became citizens."

He also did pro bono work for other members of the parish, Brian Murphy said.

For many years, he also ran St. Jerome's Share Food program, said his daughter Ellen O'Hanlon.

At the end of his legal career, Mr. Murphy gravitated to elder law and probate work, Brian Murphy said.

Other survivors include his children Nancy McGuire, Patti Williams, Kevin, Tim, Maureen Anderson, Michael, Teresa Quinlan, Terry and Sean, and 26 grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Maloney Funeral Home, 1359 W. Devon.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Jerome, 1709 W. Lunt.

Obituary of Robert Murphy

Photo: Robert Murphy's son said he brought "communion and conversation" to church members in hospitals and nursing homes. ;