Longtime Meriden Finance Director Dies At 83

Information and image via John J. Jerry & Sons Funeral Home

MERIDEN, CT - Edward Francis Murphy, age 83, passed away peacefully on October 19, 2018 surrounded in love by his whole family.He leaves his wife of 59 years, Elaine (Champagne) Murphy; his daughter LeAnn Cassidy and her husband Brian; his son Gerry and his wife Sonja; his son Keith and his wife Jennifer; his grandchildren and grandchildren-in-law Claire, Charlie, Rosalie, Mary, Colin, Ethan, Catherine, Philip, Pamela, Alex, and Tara; and many close friends and relatives.

Born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts, he was the son of the late Edward and Mildred Murphy. An Army Veteran of the Korean War, Ed received his B.A. from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. He moved to Meriden in 1962 with the love of his life, Elaine.

It was in Meriden that he would raise his family and give his life in service to the Meriden Community. Ed served as Assistant Comptroller and then as the first Finance Director for the City of Meriden for close to forty years. In retirement, he served as Treasurer for the Meriden Municipal Federal Credit Union. In addition to his work for the city, Ed spent countless hours volunteering for various causes as a member of first, the Jaycees, South Meriden Little League and the Wallingford Hawks Youth Hockey Program, and then as a long-time member of the Meriden Kiwanis Club. He was one of the Meriden club’s Past Presidents and also served as the Governor of the New England Region of Kiwanis International.

He was proud of his “Red Jacket” and all that it stood for, sharing this civic work with so many other wonderful people, including his wife. Ed volunteered countless hours to help better Meriden and the greater community. Ed will be remembered best as a loving husband, father, and grandfather and will be sorely missed.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial to be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at Our Lady Queen of Angels, Holy Angels Church Campus, 585 Main Street, South Meriden, CT 06451. Everyone is asked to meet directly at the church. Burial, with military honors, will be in St. Laurent Cemetery. Relatives and friends may call at the John J. Ferry & Sons Funeral Home, 88 Main Street, Meriden, CT 06450 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 23, 2018. For online condolences and directions, please visit www.jferryfh.com