John "Jack" Murphy, 82, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, passed away suddenly on July 28, 2026.

Jack was born on October 22, 1943, in Detroit, Michigan, to the late John and Stella Murphy. He lived a full and vibrant life centered around family, friendship, and the things he loved most.

He is survived by his first and last true love, his wife, Martha "Marty" Murphy; his daughters, Carrie Murphy-Kelso (the late Scott) and Michelle Thompson (Dana); and his cherished grandchildren, Mitchell Thompson and Alexis Thompson. He was preceded in death by his beloved brother and dear sister in law James and Mary Murphy.

Jack's early years were spent growing up in Detroit. He often shared stories of being a paper boy and running his own shoeshine business in his grade school years. He believed he owed much of his later success to the lessons he learned about working with people in those early jobs. In his teens Jack transferred from Catholic schools to Cody High School (℅ June 1961) where he began dating Marty (℅ January1962). They wed at 18, shortly after they both had graduated. Jack and Marty divorced in 1979 after 17 years of marriage. But in the early 2000s they reconnected and remarried in 2007.

Jack dedicated many years of service to Sears, Roebuck and Co. He was very proud of his accomplishments at Sears. Starting in sales and then management of the sporting goods department at the Livonia Mall store where he was quickly promoted to the regional offices at Oakland Mall as the manager and buyer for goods in the recreational departments which included toys, books, and sporting goods As kids, Carrie and Michelle were the envy of all their friends as they always had the latest toys, some even before they hit the market. Michelle fondly remembers her elementary classmates and teachers being so excited for the cool habitrail sets Jack was able to donate for the class pet gerbils.
In the early 1980's Jack moved to Chicago to serve as the National Senior Merchandise Buyer for Housewares with an office on the 54th floor of the Sears Tower. Perfect timing as Michelle and Carrie were transitioning to adulthood. Now all the great sample freebies were housewares, much to the delight of Carrie's roommates in her first off campus apartment.

Chicago quickly won Jack's heart and became his second home town. Even though he was a diehard Detroit sports fan he was proud to root for the Bears and Bulls and cheered loudly for them in their victory days as is evidenced by his excitement when the Bears won the Super Bowl in 1985 and later with other Chicago team victories. While the sports were exciting, what really won his heart was the beauty and culture of the city. Jack loved walking from his apartment to Lincoln Park or in the other direction to his office. He reveled in showing off "secret relaxation" spots he found around the city like the singing fountain. He became an avid supporter of the arts with memberships to the Chicago Art Institute and the Old Town School of Folk Music among others. Every June brought the Blues Fest and the OldTown Arts Festival, both favorite times of his to host out of town family and friends. He was famously interviewed by the local news outlets over many years for being the first person to be setting up camp in Grant Park for the July 3rd fireworks. A tradition he began and his fellow Detroit to Chicago transplant, daughter Carrie continued for many years starting with her July 3rd, 2004 wedding in the park.

At 49 after surviving multiple restructures at Sears, Jack was pushed to "retired". He transitioned from Sears to Kirk's Castile Soap and then at the North American International Auto Show as a GM product specialist. He excelled in jobs and enjoyed the perks of each. While with Kirk's he even received special guest tickets to a Janet Jackson show after sending her a special overnight delivery of the soap. And of course the Auto Show circuit came with lots of interesting travel destinations. He really enjoyed these years of working and playing hard with the "crew" of great co-workers he remained in contact with after his retirement.

Life seemed to come full circle when Jack and Marty reunited and he returned to MI where she was living on the same lake that they had lived in a cottage as newlyweds. Upon moving back to Michigan he quickly fell into the lake living life. He loved going on the boat to the sandbar on Union Lake, adventuring out on the golf carts, joining in on the neighborhood shenanigans and participating in events on Aeroview Beach. He formed many friendships in the neighborhood.

Music was a constant throughout his life. He was particularly passionate about blues and jazz music and enjoyed attending live performances whenever he could. His all time favorite was Corky Siegel who he first saw live as Siegel and Schwall before he was even old enough to be in a bar seeing them and continued to follow him and see him live whenever he could.

In his younger years, Jack belonged to bowling and golf leagues and was an avid fisherman who loved spending time on the water. But nothing matched his enthusiasm for horse racing, a lifelong passion that brought him great enjoyment. At one point he even owned a small stake in a racehorse. He would say he owned the hairs on the tip of the tail. He would spend hours handicapping each race, analyzing the horses, trainers, and jockeys before placing a bet. We often joked it was his full time job.

More than anything, Jack loved being around people. He never passed up an opportunity to gather with family and friends, whether for a special celebration or simply to enjoy good conversation and laughter. His strong personality, quick wit, and genuine interest in others made him someone people naturally enjoyed being around. Jack's kindness, friendship, and love for his family and friends will be deeply missed, but the memories he created will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.

In addition to the family mentioned above Jack leaves behind his nephews, John Murphy (Barbara), Dennis Murphy (Cindy), and Michael Murphy (Susan); his niece, Cheryl McLeod (Robert); along with many treasured great-nieces and great-nephews, all of whom will miss him dearly.
Jack is also survived by his stepdaughters, Kathy Stein (Halden) and Jennifer Hood as well as many step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his stepson, Paul Shelton.

A celebration luncheon of Jack's life will be held at Bay Pointe Country Club , 4001 Haggerty, West Bloomfield, 48323 on Monday, September 14 from 1:00 - 4:00 pm

Please RSVP by call or text to either Carrie Kelso 313-200-5498 or Michelle Thompson 248-568-1107

In lieu of flowers the family has chosen two non-profits to donate to that represent some of Jack's passions in life. First in honor of his lifelong love of horse racing, donations can be sent to The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.

The second organization, Mikva Challenge , is a non-profit that Jack learned of through Carrie's work with them. He respected their non-partisan work to grow civic skills and participation in our country.

Direct Donation Links are below. Please designate your donation as dedication/memory to Jack Murphy:

Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation
Mikva Challenge