Barney J. Murphree,
69, of Island Park Road, Ipswich, husband of Janet E. Howard, died
Tuesday, March 2, 2010 in his home following a sudden illness.
Born August 15,
1940 son of the late Robert and Annie Mae (McKinnon) Murphree he
was raised in Birmingham Alabama where he attended public school.
An avid athlete, he played football and baseball. The talented
baseball player he was, he was signed by the Cleveland Indians as a
junior in high-school. Leaving school after the 11th
grade, he enlisted in the US Navy, serving from 1958 to 1964 as a
Hospital Corpsman.
In the Navy he met
his first wife, the late Shirley (Gifford) Murphree who he married
in 1962. Mr. Murphree earned his GED in the Navy and following
his discharge he went to school nights at North Eastern University
and North Shore Community College where he received his
associates degree. In 1976 he was one of the four people picked to
be the first technicians to operate the newly invented CaT Scan
machine at Massachusetts General Hospital. He remained as their
Assistant Chief of CaT scan through 1994.
He later worked as
chief x-ray tech in Dracut, Peabody, Brookline and at Boston
Children’s Hospital.
He loved spending
time with his children and was active in coaching sports and booster
clubs, and always made time to get to their plays or games.
After leaving work
due to health reasons he worked for several business in the Ipswich
and Danvers area. He became a member of the Polish American Club in
Danvers where he met his current wife Janet Howard. They were
married in November 2009.
Barney was a life
long sports fan and loved the New England Patriots and Boston Red
Sox. He was an avid University of Alabama Football fan and loved
NASCAR racing. He enjoyed going to the Ipswich VFW Post #1093 and
the St. Lawrence Literary Society Club of Ipswich, where he loved to
sing karaoke. He enjoyed spending time with his good friend Dale and
loved being on the ocean.
In addition to his
wife Janet Howard, he is survived by a daughter Rebecca Crane and
her husband Eric of Danvers; a son, Barney Murphree, Jr. and his
wife Sueann of Braintree; six grandchildren, Victoria and Melanie
Crane of Danvers, Shawn, Jennifer, Meagan and Erin Murphree all of
Braintree; two brothers, Bill Murphree and his wife Faye of AL
and Phillip McKinnon and his wife Susan of FL; two sisters, Betty
Armstrong and her husband Bill of AL and Linda Motzi and her husband
John of Newburyport,and eight nephews and nieces.
His funeral
service will be held 10 am Saturday, March 6, in the First Church of
Ipswich, Meetinghouse Green, Ipswich. Family and friends are
respectfully welcomed. Visiting hours will be Friday 6 to 9 pm in
the Whittier-Porter Funeral Home, 6 High St., Ipswich with a service
by Ipswich American Legion Post #80 at 7 pm. Memorial contributions
in his name may be made to the Ipswich Humane Group, P.O. Box 873,
Ipswich, MA 01938.
