Joan Rita DeMay (nee Brady), of Mineola, formerly of Garden City, died on March 1, 2000. Wife of Joseph F. Mother of Joseph F. Jr. of Kew Gardens, Toni Ellen DeMay of Mineola, Joan DeMay-Meagher of Fairfax Station, VA, Peter of Long Beach, CA, Richard of Garden City, David of Washington, DC, and Stephen of Charlotte, NC. Grandmother of Lauren, David, Erin, Nicholas, Matthew and Lindsey. Sister of Helen Cupo and Gloria Cassidy. Arrangements were made by the Fairchild Chapel, Garden City. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Anne's RC Church. Interment Holy Rood Cemetery. Contributions can be made to St. Francis Hospital, Roslyn, NY. Marion Knickerbocker, of Garden City, formerly of Floral Park, died on March 2, 2000. Wife of the late John A. Aunt of eight. Great-aunt of nine. Arrangements were made by the Thomas F. Dalton Funeral Home, Levittown Chapel. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Anne's RC Church. Interment Holy Rood Cemetery. Margaret A. Gallagher, of Garden City, died on March 3, 2000. She was born in 1912 in Barnaderg, County Galway, Ireland. Wife of the late James Joseph. Mother of James Nicholas and Margaret, Herbert Francis and Patricia and Mary Ann. Grandmother of James, Deirdre, Patrick and Thomas Gallagher. Sister of May Whyte. Special aunt of many nieces and nephews. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Joseph's RC Church. Interment Holy Rood Cemetery.

Edward P. Murphy died suddenly on Feb. 15. He leaves his wife Eileen (nee Cuff), his daughter Donna O'Brien of Garden City, three sons Charles F. of Bernardsville, New Jersey, Thomas C. of London, England and Edward P. Murphy Jr. of Downers Grove, Illinois and the following grandchildren: Edward, Charles, Julia, Mary Beth, Patrick, Thomas, John, Eryl, Jessie, Adam and Abigail.

After graduating from Fordham University in 1941 at age 20 with a BS in chemistry, Mr. Murphy joined the US Army serving as a navigator on B24 Liberator bombers. Upon his return from the service, he sought the counsel of his uncle, Jeremiah L. Murphy, who told him that if he wanted to work in the family firm, J.L. Murphy Inc., he must get an engineering degree. Taking the suggestions of his uncle, who wanted him to learn the business from the ground up, Mr. Murphy worked full-time for the company during the day as a plumber and attended New York University School of Engineering at night. Six years later, with his engineering degree in hand, he went back to his uncle who proudly brought him into the office in the building the family owned at 155 E. 44th Street.

In the ensuing years Mr. Murphy rose to become the president of the company. During his time the firm completed such notable projects as the Central Mechanical Plant at Lincoln Center, the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) at LaGuardia Airport Main Terminal, the Jet Fuel Distribution Piping at JFK International Airport, Exxon headquarters, the World's Fair and Bankers' Trust headquarters to name a few.

As a boy, with his father Charles F. Murphy, who had also been in the business, and his uncle "J.L." he regularly visited the construction sites of some of the most famous buildings in New York City in which the family firm was involved. Most notable of these was the Empire State building. In 1931 J.L. Murphy Inc. did the plumbing in the 102 story building. Other projects included the plumbing at Radio City Music Hall, the Metropolitan Life Insurance projects Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village, Parkchester in the Bronx, Park Fairfax in Virginia and Park Merced in San Francisco.

Active as a longtime board member of the Mechanical Contractor's Association of New York City, Mr. Murphy was elected president of the association and served in that capacity from 1969 to 1972.

Following in the footsteps of his father-in-law, State Supreme Court Justice Thomas J. Cuff, Mr. Murphy was an enthusiastic supporter of Mercy Medical Center. He served as president of the Friends of Mercy Medical Center and that same year chaired the 1967 Mercy Ball. He was a member of the board of trustees until his retirement in 1993. Mr. Murphy was a recipient of the Nassau Suffolk Hospital Association's Theodore Roosevelt award for outstanding service as a hospital trustee in 1975.

Locally, he was a member of the Garden City Golf Club having joined in 1962.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in St. Joseph's Church on Feb. 18 by Msgr. Alan J. Placa. Concellebrants included the pastor Rev. Joseph M. Schlafer, Msgr. John A. Alessandro, Rev. John White, Rev. James Nunes and Msgr. Francis Caldwell. Honorary pallbearers included: Thomas O'Brien, Martin Shea, Drew and James Dittrich and Mr. Murphy's grandsons Edward Murphy and Patrick O'Brien.

Mr. Murphy's sons Charles, Tom and Edward delivered the eulogy. They spoke with pride of the role their father played as a loving husband and father, his dedication to St. Joseph's parish with his daily attendance at Mass during his retirement years, his service to Mercy Hospital and the leadership role he played in the construction industry in New York City.

Burial took place in Holy Rood Cemetery.