Dennis M. Murphy
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5B - June 24, 2010
Dennis passed away at his home in Grand Junction, Colorado, after
a short but courageous battle with cancer. He was born in Des
Moines, Iowa, to Harold and Dorothy Murphy and grew up in California.
He rose to the rank of sergeant in the US Army and was stationed
in Germany during the Vietnam conflict.
His life-long career with the US Forest Service began in fire management
and fire investigation. He transitioned to snow ranger at
several ski resorts while he and his wife raised their three children
on ranger stations throughout the western United States. Dennis
progressed into general criminal investigation and he served as a law
enforcement special agent for the last 20 years of his career. The
three years prior to his retirement in 1996 Dennis served on a
three-man national investigation team.
After his retirement, Dennis enjoyed collecting and restoring antique
furniture. He was an avid outdoorsman and spent much of his
free time hunting, fishing and camping with his family and his beloved
yellow lab, Woody. He spent the past several years as a volunteer
hunter education instructor with the Colorado Department of
Wildlife. He took great pride in educating the next generation.
Dennis will be greatly missed by his wife, Elizabeth; his daughters,
Kelly (Martin) Dermody and Erin Murphy; his son, Christopher
(Annie) Murphy; his granddaughter, Bridget Dermody; his sister,
Sharon Paxton; his brother, Bob Murphy; and several nieces and
nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents and grandparents.
The family wishes to thank St. Mary's Regional Cancer Center, especially
Drs. Chipman and Gibson, and the wonderful nurses and
volunteers, as well as Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Colorado.
A graveside funeral with military honors will be held on Monday,
June 28, at 10:00 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western
Colorado, 2830 Riverside Parkway, Grand Junction, Colorado.
Viewing will take place on Sunday, June 27, from 5 - 7:00 p.m. at
Callahan-Edfast Mortuary. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent
to the Grand Valley Combined Honor Guard, PO Box 4438, Grand
Junction, CO 81502.
Arrangements are under the care of Callahan-Edfast Mortuary
Grand Junction, Colorado.
