Frank Murphy

Franklin (Frank) Moroni Murphy, age 92, passed away peacefully on January 17, 2026, at his home in Bountiful, Utah, surrounded by love and leaving behind a legacy of devotion, precision, service, and quiet strength.

Frank was born February 20, 1933, in Bountiful, Utah, to his Irish father, Miles Mark Murphy, and his Dutch mother, Gertrude Teerlink, both immigrants to the United States of America, and grew up on the west side of Salt Lake City with his sister and three brothers. As immigrants to a new country, Frank’s parents knew the key to success would be found in hard work and faith. As such, Frank was raised to have a strong testimony of Jesus Christ, to be an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and to be a close follower of the teachings of Christ and His church. Frank’s parents also instilled in him a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility that would come to define him throughout his life, both personally and professionally.

As a young boy, Frank’s first job was selling newspapers on the busy street corners of Main Street in downtown Salt Lake City. Eager to do his very best, he arrived early each day to claim the most lucrative spots, quietly outworking those around him. With a tender heart and deep love for his family, Frank spent his first hard-earned money on a gold bracelet for his mother—a small but meaningful expression of gratitude and devotion. He also chose to invest in himself, renting a saxophone and paying for his own lessons. Later in his teenage years, Frank traded newspaper selling for setting pins at a local bowling alley. Even in those early years, he understood the value of hard work, respected every dollar he earned, and carried with him a lifelong habit of saving and careful stewardship.

As a payoff and reward for his hard work, at the age of 17, Frank amazed his neighbors and friends by purchasing his first car - a 1950 Lincoln automobile. Frank would develop a lifelong appreciation for quality cars, trucks, campers, fifth wheels, and boats. All of which he kept in tip-top shape through meticulous care and maintenance. These vehicles provided a sense of pride and accomplishment, as well as practicality.

Frank attended West High School, graduating as member of the Class of 1951. During his high school years, Frank joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and focused his education on the trade of welding. Frank’s skill in welding led to an internship after high school at Hill Air Force Base in Davis County, Utah. Frank worked at Hill Air Force Base until he was drafted into the Army in February 1953, during the Korean War, as a Private First Class and was assigned to be an Information Operations Intelligence Specialist.

During his time in the Army, Frank saw active conflict while stationed at Geoje (jee-OH-jay) Island, Korea, where he primarily worked as a guard at the Geoje-do POW Camp, the largest of the United Nations Command (UNC) POW camps. At the Camp, Frank’s responsibility was to provide security outside the barbed wire perimeter and, as he put it, his job was to “keep the prisoners in and looters out.”

While in Korea, Frank was welcomed into a Korean family that he came to love deeply. Through them, he learned about Korean culture and customs. He frequently gave his Army rations to hungry Korean families, offering food and compassion during a time of great need.

In November 1953, with the fighting halted, Frank was moved to the Korean mainland and stationed just three miles shy of the 38th parallel, where he served with other US troops to make sure the Communist aggression was kept at bay until he was released from the Army and returned home in February 1955.

After returning home, and throughout his life, Frank didn’t talk much about the war but was always willing to talk to others about the Korean people and their culture. Of the few stories he told, he talked of a time when he was assigned to guard a hill during the night. It was so dark that he could not see the trail. Fearing that the darkness might cause him to lose track of the trail and become lost in the jungle, he decided to crawl on his hands and knees to stay on the trail. So, all night long he crawled up and down the hill faithfully carrying out his duty.

Perhaps the story most widely known across the family is the story of Frank being a casualty of a “friendly fire” incident during some training drills. During this particular drill, Frank was with a forward group of men taking a hill when the company Lieutenant ordered an artillery attack from his position at the rear of the formation. The intention was to lob the artillery over the ground troops and across enemy lines. The Lieutenant did not account for the humidity of the day and disregarded the wet mortars as they were being loaded. This oversight caused the 60mm mortars to fall well short of their intended target and resulted in shrapnel from the ensuing blast hitting Frank and three of his buddies. Frank was hit on the back of his leg and behind his knee.

Making matters worse, the shrapnel punctured a can of tomato juice Frank was carrying in his pants pocket and the combat medic on site thought he had sustained a catastrophic injury to his leg from the blast. In response to the perceived injuries, the medic was about to treat Frank’s leg with a tourniquet. Before he could do so, Frank was able to tell the medic about the juice. Had Frank not been coherent enough to communicate in that moment, he may have lost his leg as a result. In the end, Frank suffered only minor injuries and after a brief stint in the hospital was able to return to his duties.

For his distinguished service on behalf of his country, Frank was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. After his service in Korea, Frank enlisted with the Army Reserves and continued to serve his country.

Upon his return to the States, Frank moved to California where he worked as a lumberjack in the redwood forests. Several years later, with his parents and younger brother struggling financially, Frank returned to Salt Lake City where he worked on the janitorial staff at LDS Hospital to help support his family. He also enrolled at the University of Utah for a short time. Later, he used his welding skills to get a job at Sperry Corporation (now known as L3Harris Corp.), where he worked on numerous military projects.

Welding offered Frank a sustainable career and allowed him to utilize his talent for precision and craftsmanship. Frank’s quality and attention to detail earned him many accolades from his colleagues and his welding techniques became legendary within the company. His work ethic again set the standard for others to follow.

At this time in his life, Frank met Helen Rae Robinson on a blind date. Helen Rae had been recently divorced and was the mother of a young daughter, Sheryl. This did not deter Frank and the two began dating. This friendship quickly turned to love, and they were married in the Salt Lake City Temple on March 10, 1961.

It wasn’t long before Helen Rae was expecting their first child together. Carrie Murhpy was born on May 31, 1962. Carrie brought much happiness and joy to the new family. Unfortunately, Carrie’s time on this earth was short and she died suddenly and unexpectedly due to a congenital heart defect only two short months later. The family was devastated, but life went on. The following year, Dan Franklin was born into the family, followed by their daughter, Jill, two years later.

Through hard work and dedication, Frank and Helen Rae built a strong family. Frank was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who always made family his top priority.

To help support the growing family, Frank and two close friends, started the Better Carpet Cleaning Service, a side business that provided services to both homeowners and commercial clients alike. With Frank and Helen Rae working full-time jobs, the hours with the business were long and hard, but provided extra money for endless hours of family entertainment, recreation, and vacation time; as well as, funding “rainy day” savings, future schooling, and retirement.

Summer Saturdays were often filled with boating trips to Willard Bay, Pine View Reservoir, and Lake Powell, where, over the years, all the kids and most of the grandkids were taught to water ski, and for some, how to drive the boat. In the winter, Saturdays in the sun, sand and water were traded for the sun, snow, and slopes of the area ski resorts where snow skiing was king. Later on, Frank and Helen Rae spent Saturdays tailgating with friends and cheering on the BYU Cougar football team at Cougar Stadium, where they were season ticket holders for many years.

Throughout the year, immediate and extended family regularly gathered at “Grandma and Grandpa’s house” to celebrate birthdays and holidays, enjoy major sporting events, and other special occasions. Oftentimes, this meant burgers and hot dogs on the grill. Of course, the grills, of various styles over the years, were welded and handmade by Frank using materials he had on hand and were superior to anything you could buy elsewhere.

Embodying a spirit of self-reliance, Frank was self-taught in many disciplines, skills, and trades. He was a practitioner of “measure twice, cut once”, and valued precision and accuracy as an indicator of a job well done.

One of Frank’s lasting mottos was, “Buy the best you can afford to meet your needs, then take care of it.” No matter what he owned, he always insisted that it be clean and in good repair. Consequently, few things ever had to be replaced. It seemed that nothing he owned ever wore out, it just got old. This wisdom has been passed down through his posterity and will be a part of his legacy to his family.

As Frank and Helen Rae entered their empty-nester period, they took up square dancing and became members of the Rainbow Dance Club. With this club, they danced competitively throughout the western states for over 25 years, and they loved every minute of it. Following Frank’s pattern of being precise and meticulous, the two of them practiced all the moves at home, sometime in full costume, until they were experts at them. In the early 1990s, Frank and Helen Rae nearly do-si-doed and chasséd their way onto the silver screen when the Rainbow Dance Club was invited to square dance as part of a festival scene being shot locally for the movie The Sandlot. Unfortunately, the scene ended up on the cutting room floor and didn’t make the final version of the film. Throughout their dancing years, Frank and Helen Rae were always sought after by others for dancing partners because they were so graceful together.

Later, they participated in a service group, The Beehive Roamers, where they completed a variety of service projects across the community in support of numerous groups and organizations. These two outlets provided them with many wonderful memories and long-lasting friendships.

Shortly after their retirement, Frank and Helen Rae served a mission in Cody, Wyoming, at the Historic Cody Mural and Museum. At this site, they served as guides at the historic chapel that has a specially built dome shaped foyer. The dome was commissioned to be painted to tell the early history of the Church. It became a popular tourist attraction. Frank carefully memorized a script written to teach about each part of the mural and the non-member artist who painted it. As a missionary, Frank was able to share the gospel that meant so much to him with those who visited the site through the artistry of the mural. Frank and Helen Rae touched the lives of many with their humble message and testimony of the Savior.

After their mission was complete, they continued to attend the temple weekly and served as temple workers focused on the sealing ordinances for the dead.

In retirement, Frank learned the art of lapidary. Over the years, each family member, and many friends, were gifted beautiful pieces of handcrafted jewelry, rings and earrings for the ladies, bolo ties and belt buckles for the men. Each is held as a family treasure.

During the winter months, Frank and Helen Rae lived a ‘snowbirding’ lifestyle and spent the cold season living in their fifth wheel at different places in Arizona and California. There, they made new friends. Frank and Helen Rae stood out for the tight family bonds they enjoyed. This gave them the opportunity to share myriad stories of their kids and posterity with those around them.

In 2019, Frank was selected to participate in an Honor Flight with a group of veterans from across the state of Utah. Alongside his son, Dan, he enjoyed three days of honor and celebration in the nation’s capital as they toured the national memorials. Of course, the Korean War Memorial held a special place for Frank. In a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Frank was selected from his group to represent the Korean War veterans by placing a wreath during a solemn ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

Frank was a humble man who stood as a stalwart example of following in the Savior’s footsteps through his provident living, strong devotion to family, and his lifelong service to community and country.

Frank is preceded in death by his parents, Miles and Gertrude Murphy; his siblings, Elizabeth Gertrude Murphy (Fred), John Mark Murphy (Nancy), and Robert Stanley Murphy (Darla); his eternal spouse, Helen Rae Robinson; and his daughter, Carrie Murphy.

He is survived by his brother, Michael Brent Murphy (Lynn); his stepdaughter, Sheryl Wright Bailey (Jack), whom he lovingly raised as his own; his son, Dan Franklin Murphy (Kathy); his daughter, Jill Murphy; six grandchildren (five of whom are married); and six great-grandchildren.

In addition, the family extends heartfelt gratitude to special friends and caregivers who provided comfort and companionship: Eden Gillespie, Fred Tesch, Darin McKee, Martha Vilchez, and the care team of Symbii Hospice.

Funeral services are provided by Russon Mortuary, 295 North Main Street, Bountiful, Utah. A viewing will take place at the mortuary on Friday, January 23rd, from 8:45 AM – 9:45 AM, with the funeral immediately afterward at 10:00 AM.

A virtual livestream of the funeral will be available on Russon Mortuary Live Facebook page and this obituary page.

Graveside services and interment will follow at the Bountiful City Cemetery. After the burial, a luncheon for family will be provided at the Bountiful 39th Ward building, 1500 South 600 East, Bountiful, Utah.