Obituary of R. Bradford Murphy

Ray Bradford Murphy passed away on August 28, 2017. Bradford (Brad) was born in 1922 in Springfield Massachusetts to Ray Dickinson and Elizabeth Chapin. He grew up in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. Brad graduated from Andover Academy ('40), Princeton University ('44), and received his PhD in Mathematics from Princeton ('53). He volunteered for the United States Marine Corps, served in World War II (Pacific Theater), and introduced the concept of circular search patterns for downed aircraft. After teaching at Carnegie Mellon University, he spent the rest of his extensive career as a member of the technical staff at Bell Telephone Laboratories in New York City and Holmdel, New Jersey. He participated in projects including data analytics, signal routing, quality control, conversion of analog signals to digital signals, history of operations research and participated in various military and government projects. He was a member of Sigma Xi and a fellow in the American Society of Testing and Materials. He spent many summers sailing on Cape Cod. Brad was active in the Montclair Operetta Club, the Montclair Dramatic Club, as well as the Monmouth Civic Chorus, performing in many plays, musicals, and other performances. He was also very active in the choirs of St. John's Church in Little Silver, and St. John's on the Mountain in Bernardsville. Brad was a member of The General Society of Mayflower Descendants (William Bradford) and he regularly completed the Sunday New York Times Crossword Puzzle in ink. Bradford was predeceased by his parents, his brothers Chapin and Lambert, and his sister Elizabeth. He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Margaret, his five children, Elizabeth Cannizzaro (John), Peter (Heather), Abigail Kean (John), Katherine Meyerson (Mitchell), and Samuel. He is also survived by his nine grandchildren, John (Danik), Margaret "Emmy" (Thomas), Murphy (Corbin), Henry, Elizabeth, Josiah, Theodore, Benjamin, and Michael. A service will be held at The Church of St. John on the Mountain, Bernardsville NJ on Saturday September 9. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen (New York City), The Fresh Air Fund, or the Salvation Army in Brad's name. For further information, or to light an online condolence candle for the family please visit www.gcfuneralhome.com