Charles Leighton Murphy

Charles Leighton Murphy Jr. of Pharr, Texas, passed away on 25 Aug 2026 at the age of 91 from complications of a stroke. Born 27 Dec 1934 to Rebecca Armstrong Murphy (née Crowe) and Charles Leighton Murphy Sr. in Wilmington Delaware. He was predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Christabel Murphy (nee Herd) when she was 82, a sister, Carol Anne Porter, a son, Douglass Andrew Murphy (55), a daughter, Dorothy Robin Murphy, a granddaughter, Bethany Jean Murphy (21), and a grandson John Jason (JJ) Ridenour (12). He is survived by a Sister, Joyce White of Wilmington, DE, sons David Charles Murphy of Pottstown, PA, Daniel Craig Murphy of Wilmington, DE, and Deanie Crance Ridenour (Robert) of Hamburg, PA. Granddaughters Megan Meredith Berendowski (Craig) of Greenwich, CT, Emily Rebecca Murphy of Brooklyn, NY, Jessica Kristen Murphy of Wilmington, DE, and Venus Snyder (nee Heller) (Ryan) of Wilson, NY. His great grandsons are Austin (13), Owen (9), and Logan (7) Berendowski, and James (14) and Henry (11) Snyder. He has three neices, two nephews, and countless grand neices and nephews.
Charlie grew up in the Woodcrest neighborhood in Delaware and attended Krebs Elementary and Junior High, and Conrad High School where he met Chris and graduated in 1954. He attended Green Hill Presbyterian when in Delaware and First Baptist of McAllen while in Texas.
Charlie was a 32° Master Mason belonging to Ionic Lodge #31 and a US Navy Veteran who served proudly during the Korean conflict and during the Suez Crisis having been stationed in French Morocco and on the USS Ingraham III DD 694 .
After the military, Charlie could be found frequently helping out at his father's restaurant, The Country Girl Diner.
He held many different jobs over the years: paper boy, caddy at the Hercules Country Club, and Taxidermist at Slicers in Newport, DE, having been taught the trade by Mr. Slicer himself, and as a general laborer at the GM plant on Boxwood Rd. But he was most rewarded by his job as a Manager and Quality Control Engineer for the company Extracorporal, a division of Johnson and Johnson, manufacturing medical supplies. He retired from the company in 1996.
Charlie was an avid outdoors man; in his teens you could frequently find him hunting water fowl in the marshy shores of the Delaware river. He taught his children to shoot, camp, and canoe.
After retirement Chris and Charles lived in a cabin in the woods on the grounds of the Delaware Canoe Club. Eventually they decided to tour the country and towed a fifth wheel RV all around it, from Baja Mexico, along the Pacific coast to Canada, and from Florida to Maine. Eventually they settled in Pharr Texas as they both loved the community. They both lived there until each of them passed.
He was a great wood worker having created many beautiful pieces of furniture for friends and family. During his retirement, you could frequently find him in the woodshop making pen and pencil sets which many friends, family, and acquaintances still use.
Charlie Murphy will be sorely missed by his many friends and family.

Funeral services are under the direction of Legacy Chapels in Edinburg.