Murphy Reeves

Murphy’s story:

Oh what a life Murphy lived. Born in California to Robert Gibson Reeves and Julie Anne Higgins, Murphy joined his older sister Lori in Piedmont CA. A few years later, his younger sister Marianna joined the clan. Having acquired an independent spirit as a toddler, Murphy developed a calm but curious personality.

His father worked for GE as an engineer and every promotion gained caused the young family to relocate in an eastward trajectory. The first house was located in Burnt Hills, NY followed by Scotia, NY which also saw the arrival of his younger brother Forrest. The next move was to West Hartford, CT followed by Longmeadow, MA. The final move happened when he was 9 yrs of age and that magical destination was Bangor, ME .His childhood was idyllic in numerous ways but following are some memorable moments: playing tag on hot summer nights with the Miller kids; building balsa wood planes, daring his best friend and partner in crime Jeff Nichols to increasingly more difficult jumps with their bikes. He built secretive forts at the golf course where he and his friends enjoyed countless hours hanging out. He looked forward to the beach club at Lucerne Lake and spent many summer days swimming to the dock or paddling around goofing off with friends.

He enjoyed skating at Fairmount Park on long winter nights while playing Red Rover Red Rover until all his fingers and toes were semi frozen. His grandmother Bama Higgins would send him out with a hot thermos of Ovaltine to provide warmth and yumminess to all the kids skating. Making an iced luge track in the back yard or skiing at Hermon Mountain provided other winter fun.

However, Murphy deeply missed his father who had moved to Nevada after his parents’ divorce. At age 14, his mother agreed to a summer visit with his dad. The time out west came to a close and after much consideration his mother acquiesced to a permanent move. He attended Incline Middle School in Incline Village, Nevada and quickly made friends. In December of 1976 Murphy was a passenger in a car traveling on Tyner Way, a twisty
turny road adjacent to Mt. Rose which towers above Lake Tahoe. The driver lost control during a snowstorm and the car went off the road. The driver was thrown from the vehicle suffering a concussion and as a result neglected to tell the authorities about his passenger. Many hours later the vehicle was located but completely crushed except for a small section where Murphy was found. He was in a coma for 6 months having suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as other bodily insults. Many years in physical rehabilitation improved everything possible but left him partially paralyzed on his left side. Murphy never once complained and he was rarely sick. He had the most optimistic outlook and a stoicism that informed his life.

His father and step mother moved Murphy to Saratoga, California to be closer to rehabilitation services. He received his high school diploma from Saratoga H.S. He continued his education in the school of engineering at the University of Nevada. Later on, his head injury complicated job prospects and as a consequence he became
permanently disabled in 1990.

He moved back to Maine from 1989-1997 and re established many friendships while discovering new relationships. However, once again he longed for the west and headed back to his beloved California.

Through the ensuing decades Murphy moved lived in Incline Village and Truckee California, working at ski resorts in the winter and on the Truckee River in the summer. He enjoyed the company of friends and always had a Labrador as his constant companion. Murphy was a devoted member of Sierra Bible Church, an uplifting gospel music/rock and roll ministry of Jesus.

In late November 2021 his sister Marianna was informed Murphy needed assistance and could no longer live independently. His sisters coordinated another move back east and on March 17th, 2022 he became a Maine resident for the second time. He brought his incredible chocolate lab named Willie who had been his service dog for almost 3 years.

Murphy was enrolled in a specialized program, Maine Center for Integrated Rehab (MCIR) which only deals with brain injured adults. He flourished there and had a productive year. He appreciated the work that Dr. Sadvi Ganesh provided. She administered botox to his neck, arm and leg and the injections allowed Murphy to have
freedom of movement without pain for the first time in 47 years.

In mid-June Murphy complained of stomach pain, something he rarely did. It seemed as if his ulcer was acting up. He underwent successful abdominal surgery and was on the road to recovery.

While coughing to clear his throat, something he had done ever since the car accident, he aspirated some stomach bile into his lungs. The event put him in critical care from which he could not recover, even with his iron will to survive. On July 2, the decision was made to remove him from life support. Murphy succumbed a few hours later with his loving family surrounding him and his favorite classic rock tunes playing in the background.

He is once again a California boy, restored to his perfect body, playing catch on the beach with his beloved dog Willie, swimming in the ocean together, enjoying blue skies and sunny days forever.