May 27, 1943 Dec. 13, 2012
John D. Murphy of Bend, OR, 69, passed away Dec. 13, 2012, with his family by his side after a long battle with cancer.
John was born in Portland, OR, to John L. and Matilda L. (Khoury) Murphy. He graduated from high school in Moorpark, CA, and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he was stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base in Novato, CA.
On August 8, 1964, he married Valkyrie Anderson in Reno. After his military service, they moved to Ventura County, CA, where John graduated from the sheriffs academy and worked as a Deputy Sheriff. The family now included two sons, Mark and Michael.
In 1971, the family moved to Bend, OR, where John served as an officer and later as a detective with the Bend Police Dept. During this time, John also completed a community service degree from Eastern Oregon State College. He volunteered with meals on wheels as well as in the emergency room at St. Charles Medical Center, and also in fundraising with the Bend Police Dept for the Special Olympics.
John loved spending time with his family, and enjoyed fishing, rock hounding, and raising animals. After retiring in 1994, John fulfilled a dream by moving to a small cattle ranch in Burns, OR. He returned to Bend in 2000 for health reasons.
John is survived by his wife of 48 years, Valkyrie; his son, Mark (Undarga); his son, Michael; and granddaughter, Chloe; brother, Paul; sister, Marty; niece, Xia; and nephew, Conor.
Services will be held Wednesday, December 19, at 10:30 a.m., at NiswongerReynolds Funeral Home, 105 NW Irving Ave, Bend, OR 97701.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the United Way of Deschutes County, PO Box 5969, Bend, OR 97708. http://www.deschutesunitedway.org/
