Murphy, Thomas B

Thomas Brian Patrick Murphy

Thomas B. Murphy passed away peacefully on May 17, 2026, at the age of 73.

He was born February 15, 1953, in Elmira NY to John and Mary Catherine (Katie) Murphy. The family moved to Rochester when Tom was about 1 year old so his father could help with engineering systems at the original WHAM-TV. 

Tom went to St. John the Evangelist school and graduated from East High School. He attended Niagara University with a major in Political Science. After working on the Hugh Carey campaign, he went to work for the New York State Department of Labor. He started in the Unemployment Insurance division, worked in the Labor Services department as well as helped set up processes in the first Rochester Works! Office. He retired in 2017 as a Senior Unemployment Insurance Adjudicator where his early career aspirations of being a lawyer were fulfilled as he represented the Department of Labor in administrative law hearings dealing with issues in unemployment insurance cases.

Tom had several passions. 

He loved watching sports (especially hockey), the Rochester Americans (40+ year season ticket holder), the Buffalo Sabres, the Buffalo Bills, and any MLB team that was playing the Yankees. He taught Katie to keep baseball scores at Rochester Red Wings games, which also led to him serving as team scorekeeper for Katie’s travel softball team. He was the calm presence in the dugout and survived a dusty microburst that left small holes in his shirt from the gravel that pelted everyone. He developed an affinity for Premier League Football after retirement. He would say that Katie inherited her love of sports (and her big feet) from him. 

He loved watching movies as well. It was not unusual for Tom to see 2-3 movies a week. He and his wife Nancy met at the Cinema Club, where singles could go as a group to see movies. Tom worked part-time at The Cinema Movie Theater for many years on Saturday afternoons. Katie learned addition and subtraction by making change while selling tickets with him. After retirement, he took film courses at Osher Institute at RIT and started posting movie reviews on social media. He had a small but loyal following on his “Flicker Flashbacks” site. He wrote insightful movie reviews with humor and an eye for good story making. It was a team effort as Nancy edited grammar and spelling as well as posted counter opinions to his reviews. The occasional “He Said/She Said” posts could get a tad heated. He rated movies by giving them “shamrocks.” He gave Casablanca his highest rating of “5 Shamrocks”. 

Tom’s college degree in Political Science gave him a good foundation and fueled his love of politics. C-SPAN and various news outlets were frequent places for his viewing. His insight into political affairs was as keen as his insight into films. He recognized the drama and comedy in both areas. 

Tom loved a good story, had a dry intelligent sense of humor, a sweet sentimental side, and most of all, loved his family and friends. Nancy, Katie, Matt, and Jojo (and his beloved mischievous Casper, the friendly dog) brought much joy to his life. 

Tom is survived by his wife, Nancy Peterson, his daughter Katie Murphy-Lyon, son-in-law Matthew Murphy-Lyon, granddaughter Josephine (Jojo) Rose Murphy-Lyon, his brother Jerry, cousins in Elmira NY and western Massachusetts. He leaves behind friends, softball families, and fellow Amerks fans. Thanks to Jody Gage and Brian Krentzman of the Rochester Amerks for giving Tom a final happy moment in his last days with a visit in the hospital. Thanks also to the nursing/care staff at inpatient hospice at Highland Hospital for making his last days comfortable and peaceful. 

Calling hours will be at Richard H. Keenan’s Funeral Home at 7501 Pittsford-Palmyra Road in Fairport on Friday May 22, from 6-8 pm. Tom said he wanted a celebration of life, and nothing too “stuffy” to send him off so you are invited to wear casual clothing, especially a jersey, t-shirt or hat from your favorite sports team or movie. 

In lieu of flowers, consider donating to either of two local organizations that care for pets: Pet Pride of Victor NY (cat sanctuary) or Rochester Hope for Pets of Brighton NY (scholarships to help pet owners with vet bills).