«Marton» Felix Murphy
1935-2022
MURPHY,
Marton Felix
December 30, 1935 – Summerside, Prince Edward
Island
November 20, 2022 – Calgary,
Alberta
Marton
Murphy of Calgary, AB passed away on Sunday, November 20,
2022 at the age of
86 years.
Marton is survived by his wife Connie to whom he was married
for over 50 years. He is also survived by two nephews and a niece.
Daniel Murphy and his children James Murphy and Madison Murphy of PEI,
Joseph Murphy of Blaine Lake, SK and Melinda Murphy (Sean Sweeney) and
their children Emily, John & Kate Sweeney of Saskatoon, SK.
Marton was predeceased by his parents Dan and Lena Murphy of Freetown,
PEI and his brother Dr. James (Jim) Murphy.
Marton was
born in Summerside, PEI on December 30, 1935 and received his
education at Norboro School, Kinkora High School, and Prince of Wales
College in Charlottetown, PEI. He moved to Calgary, AB in 1955 and
started immediately in the oil industry. Marton was active in politics
throughout his life and drew up the charter for the Triple E Senate as
well as assisted Stan Waters to become the first elected Senator in
Canada in 1988. He helped form the Reform Party of Canada as one of
the original twelve. Marton was a strong supporter and a friend of
numerous Mayors, Premiers and Prime Ministers over the years across
Canada
Marton was
Founder and President of the Murco Group of Companies across Canada
and the United States, including Ace Industries Int’l Corp., Murphy
Equipment Intl Inc., Murphy Drilling Ltd., Nation Wide Transportation
Ltd, M. Murphy Travel Associates Inc., Nationwide Resources Inc., and
Mountain View Engineering and Environmental Inc. Marton’s
business goal was to create jobs; money was merely a fortunate
by-product, especially for the beneficiaries of his philanthropic
causes. Marton’s many causes included supporting Easter
Seals and Camp Horizon for over 50 years as well as Camp Bonaventure.
He also supported Crohns and Colitis of Canada, Juvenile Diabetes
Research, Dreams Take Flight, SPCA, the YMCA, Women’s Shelter, Calgary
Handi-Bus, Calgary Senior’s Resource Society, Mustard Seed to feed the
homeless, Heart and Stroke Research, Salvation Army, IODE, Alberta
Adolescent Recovery Centre, Camp Kindle, Kid’s Cancer Care, and the
Children’s Wish Foundation. Marton gave generously of himself and his
money throughout his life, which he learned from his mother Lena, a
community nurse. Marton’s motto became «never retire», he
urged everyone to stay active and to devote their time to others, as
was expressed by Marton in his biography. Johnny Hopkins, a noted
journalist, wrote in The Calgary Herald, «Alberta would be a much
better place if there were more people like Marton
Murphy».
Marton’s family and friends remember him as a typical
Irishman for his sage advice, witty sense of humor, moreover, great
enjoyment of life. His favorite advice to all was «Take it
Easy», in other words, be calm, be prepared, think it through,
know what you have to do and the problem will yield to intelligence
and hard work. He was a wonderful storyteller.
Marton was a
lifelong, member of Knights of Columbus, Royal Canadian Legion and
Eagles Club. He also spent over 50 years working and fundraising for
the physically challenged as well as a dozen other churches and
charities throughout Alberta and across Canada. For nearly 50 years,
Marton was one of the key people with the Islanders Club in
Calgary.
Marton was a great lover of the outdoors, horses in
particular; spending over 70 years associated with horses and owned
Arabian riding and Standardbred stables. Marton never believed in
breaking a horse’s spirit, instead training the horse to like the
people around him.
Marton
was an avid golfer, downhill/cross country snow skier and water skier.
Marton spent a large part of his life in the outdoors hiking, fishing,
and travelling. Over the course of 80 years, Marton travelled the
world for both business and pleasure, most often accompanied by his
wife Connie. In the summer, he and Connie would spend time boating or
RV’ing across Western Canada, in particular Banff National
Park, where he had a lifelong love of the Rocky Mountains. For several
decades, Marton kept a house in Arizona where he would spend the
winters golfing with Connie at the Apache Wells Golf Course, commuting
back and forth to Calgary. Marton and Connie loved to dance and over
the years hosted hundreds of parties in Calgary and Arizona for their
many friends, relatives and business
associates.
There will be
no visitation on PEI at Marton’s request. Funeral mass will be
celebrated at St. James Church, Summerfield on Thursday, December 1 at
10:30 a.m. with burial in the Church cemetery following the funeral
mass. If friends so desire, memorial donations may be made to the St.
James Church Cemetery fund or the charity of the donor’s
choice.
Arrangements on PEI entrusted to Lawless Funeral Home,
Kinkora.
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19352022
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Marton Felix Murphy 19352022..
Décès pour la Ville: Kinkora, Province: I-P-E