Galvin Murphy, deacon from Mastic, dies

When the Catholic Church announced it was bringing back the order of permanent deacons, a level of clergy that had been dormant for centuries, Galvin Murphy of Mastic was among the first to volunteer.

He was ordained in 1979, in the Rockville Centre diocese's first class, and continued a lifetime of service to his faith that lasted until his final days. He died Thursday of multiple illnesses at 77.

"The church was his whole life. Everything revolved around it," said his son David Murphy, of Mastic. "And we were all involved."

The younger Murphy remembered how he and his father both were near tears as they hugged, moments after his ordination. The son pointed out how his father embraced the fact that "deacon" comes from the Greek word for "service" and that Galvin Murphy was involved in many ministries at St. John the Evangelist parish in Center Moriches -- while holding a full-time job and helping his wife, Marcella, raise five children.

Galvin Murphy grew up in Bayside, attended Queens College, served in the Army and went to work as a draftsman for Lily Tulip Corp. He and his wife, who died in 2005, moved to Mastic in 1964.

In the 1970s, he became a business agent for Local 342 of the Long Island Public Service Employees, a job he held for more than 20 years. Through it all, he taught Bible study for adults and religious education classes for children, for several years, running the entire parish education program.

As a deacon, he performed weddings and baptisms and preached at Sunday Masses. He became fluent in Spanish so he could preach to parishioners who didn't speak English. After he retired from the Local in 1997, he earned his master's degree in theology from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington.

Along with his son, survivors include three children from a previous marriage, Brian Fales of West Palm Beach, Fla., John Cole of Hardwick, Vt., and Susan Daniels of Alexandria, Va.; son James of Mastic; daughters Mary Ellen Tricarico of Patchogue, Patricia Firman of Farmingville and Maureen Brucato of Shirley; sister, Kathleen Major of Wayne, Pa.; 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Visiting will be from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Sinnicksons Moriches Funeral Home, Center Moriches. Mass of Transferral will be Sunday at 5:30 p.m. St. John's Church, Center Moriches and Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday, also at St. John's. Burial will be at Calverton National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Long Island chapter.