MICHAEL O. MURPHY

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MICHAEL O. MURPHY

Michael O. Murphy born during a hot Winnipeg August to Jeanette Tront and Patrick Murphy, the only son, after sisters Theresa, Maureen, and Kathleen, with sisters, Janie and Colleen after him. Bright, curious, intelligent, with a smile from giant ear to giant ear, Michael had an indomitable spirit, which flourished with the love of his devoted mother and wider family, despite the iron-fist of his father.
Michael attended Holy Cross School and threw himself passionately into his various activities: a devoted altar boy (despite having fainted at his first funeral), a Sea Cadet, and a Marching Band enthusiast. He collected and meticulously cared for guppies and pigeons, and always found time for his favourite activity: tormenting his sisters. His love of music continued, while while attending high school and playing trombone in the Otis Crow Blues Band.
For a spirited boy like Michael, with a Catholic upbringing in the 1960s, there was only one way to survive: to become a rebel. At the University of Manitoba, he chased intellectual and leftist pursuits: religion, philosophy and fine art. He grew a thin mustache, wore berets and rode a 10-speed. He became enamoured with the beautiful librarian Paula McCaig, and soon they were expecting a wee one.
Son Eamon was born soon after the wedding, followed by daughters, Sarah and Katie. The little family packed up and moved out to the country, where they nurtured an organic farm, unheard of at the time, baked bread and made homemade yogurt. They raised their children, adding son Oliver, as well as dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs. Michael's hair and beard were Jesus-like. They worked hard and played harder, throwing enormous parties, and taking the kids camping and to folk festivals and cliff jumping, even as their love waned.
It was also during these years that Michael's love of politics grew, and he became a proud member of the NDP, working on numerous election campaigns eventually as Chief of Staff to the Government House Leader in the 1980s. He bought a suit and started to wear it with pride.
Always growing, dreaming, challenging himself and anyone he spoke to, Michael moved into the next stage of his adulthood and an apartment in downtown Vancouver. He drank cappuccinos, had dramatic romances on sailboats and kept fresh flowers from street markets. He also fostered his professional growth, leading an immigrant support organization and working as a First Nations treaty negotiator with the Province (BC), always focused on his desire to promote equality in the world.
Through his work in Victoria, he met his principessa, Paula Betuzzi, who shared his values of justice and hope for a better world and love of travel. They married with a sumptuous wedding (2004) in Umbria (Italy). Soaring around the globe, they made nests in Victoria, Los Angeles, Guyana, and a particularly fateful stop in Jerusalem. It was there that Michael and Paula welcomed daughter Stella (2008).
During these years, Michael also built his international career as a democracy and governance specialist, including working with the National Democratic Institute. He approached the often-frustrating worlds of politics, government and democratic development in the same way he approached life: with courage, unflappable optimism, and the moral imperative to act for the betterment of all. He shaved off his thinning hair, wore thick rimmed glasses, and collected antique furniture and fine carpets.
After leaving their lives and many friends in Jerusalem, the Betuzzi-Murphy family moved to Washington, DC, where Michael's continuous thirst for knowledge and dialogue led him to a Masters in International Policy and Practice at George Washington University (2011). When it was time to return to the home country, Paula and her two peas-in-a-pod settled in Ottawa, where Michael continued to work on international contracts (including in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Yemen), bringing all of the recipes back home to their kitchen.
Michael refused to accept his cancer diagnosis in 2015 and marched defiantly on. His final years were spent creating magic in the kitchen, making a beautiful home and garden for his family, and developing a deep and unbreakable bond with Stella. He continued to embark on travel adventures, including work with the Carter Center back in the Middle East and a memorable family trip to Mexico (December 2019).
Though Michael's body passed in the early morning of May 3, 2020, his unconquerable spirit will live on forever through his enormous family: Eamon, Anne, Hilary, Finn, Owen and Eva; Sarah, Ian, Jackson and Hannah; Katie, Sean, Ella, Sadie and Tallulah; and Oliver, Jayne, Grace and Weston; his sisters, their children and grandchildren; Paula's extended family; and his numerous, cherished friends and colleagues. With his many strengths and strong personality, Michael will be deeply missed by Paula and Stella.

Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

-Dylan Thomas

A Celebration of Life will be planned for a future date.
Donations in memory of Michael can be made to the following organizations: Carefor; the Broadbent Institute; or the Terry Fox Foundation.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 09, 2020