William (Dee) Martin Murphy, Jr., 79, of Charleston, died Wednesday, September 12, 2018, at St. Francis Hospital. The relatives and friends of Dr. and Mrs. William Martin Murphy are invited to attend his Mass of Christian Burial 10:30 AM Thursday, September 20, 2018 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1695 Raoul Wallenberg Blvd., Charleston. The Rite of Committal will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery on James Island. The family will receive friends between 5:00 and 7:00 PM Wednesday at the James A. McAlister Funeral Home, 1620 Savannah Highway.
Born August 26, 1939 and raised in Charleston, SC by his father William Martin Murphy, Sr. and his mother Elizabeth Dozier Murphy. William graduated from Bishop England High School in 1957 and later graduated from the College of Charleston in 1961. He married his high school sweetheart, Christine Marie Michel, in August 1963. William received his medical degree from the Medical College of South Carolina in 1965. His specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynecology was from the National Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He served in the US Navy Medical Corps for nine years, achieving the rank of Commander. In 1973, after two years at the US Naval Hospital in North Charleston, he joined Dr. Carium Joseph in private practice where he delivered more than 3,000 babies in the Charleston area during his career of 35 years.
Family was everything to Dee. Holidays, vacations, and simple family gatherings were where he was the happiest. He had an ability to find common ground and that special place with each of his children and grandchildren. Many of his endearing qualities live on in each of them. His love and care of family, patients, and people in general were evident through his caring and compassionate nature.
William was a devoted member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church for 47 years. His unwavering faith served him well through his life’s most challenging times and is an inspiration to us all. He was a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernian and The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG).
William is survived by his wife of 55 years, Christine Michel (Chrissie); his four children: Colleen Marie Murphy, Kathleen Michel Martin (Walt), William Martin Murphy, III (Tara), and Mary Elizabeth Flanders (Mark); and his six grandchildren: Collins Wooten (Daniel), Meghan Murphy (Zachary), Walt Martin, IV, William Murphy, IV, Catherine Flanders, and Emily Flanders.
Memorials may be made either to Bishop England High School Endowment Fund (363 Seven Farms Drive, Daniel Island, SC 29492), or to St. Joseph's Catholic Church Building Fund.