Virgil Rudolph Murphy

Virgil Rudolph Murphy
April 23, 1926 –March 5, 2018

Virgil R. Murphy, 91, passed peacefully from this earth on March 5, 2018 at Hope West Hospice Care Center in Grand Junction. He was a kind and giving man who will be missed by many.
Virgil lived an incredible life of travel and adventure. He was born in Old London, Texas to farming parents, Willy and Ollie. They moved to Henderson, TX in 1936. Virgil left home at age 17 to serve in the Army Air Corp during WWII. He was a “right gunner” on a B-29 “Superfortress” stationed on Tinian Island in the Pacific. He was fortunate to participate in the mass flyover of Tokyo harbor during the surrender of Japan which occurred on the USS Missouri battleship.
Virgil had a long career in the oil and gas industry, beginning after his Honorable Discharge and his marriage to Ameryllus (Nelson), the neighbor girl he taunted for so many years until she grew up and he recognized her beauty and charm. They were married April 2, 1947, have been married 70 plus years, and raised five boys.
Virgil and Amy lived in Venezuela for 6 years, returned to the U.S., living in OK, NM, WY, and KS primarily constructing and operating LPG plants. Their final foreign assignment was working for Atlantic Richfield in Indonesia, where he worked for 10 years. While there, Virgil was Superintendent of an off-shore Natural Gas plant located in the Java Sea. He also supervised the construction, inauguration and management of the “The Sakti”, the largest floating, off-shore, concrete LPG storage and offload barge in the world. While traveling back and forth to the U.S. Virgil and Amy saw a lot of Europe and Asia.
Virgil retired in 1987 from Atlantic Richfield and moved to Durango, Colorado.
Virgil loved to build and grow things. He was always tinkering with something and had an amazing “green thumb”. He was an avid golfer and a very good one. Everyone that played golf with Virgil enjoyed his easy nature and tremendous sense of humor. He loved telling jokes and spreading humor whenever he could, which was almost always.
Virgil was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, nine sisters and his son David. He is survived by his wife Ameryllus (Amy), his remaining sons and daughters-in-law, Bill & Mitzi (Williston, ND) , Dan & Terri (Crested Butte, CO), Tim & Anita (Durango, CO), Darin & Karen (Boston, MA). He also has eleven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and many nephews and nieces.
The family would like to thank Hope West (Hospice) of Montrose, CO for their kindness and devoted care of Virgil. Cremation was handled by Crippin Funeral Home and Crematory with no service. A future memorial in will be in Henderson, Texas.