Brett William Murphy

Brett William Murphy, passed away in his home January 6, 2022. He hoped to make it to age 79 and achieved his goal; his birthday was January 3rd. Born January 3, 1943 to Irving and Anne Murphy, he was the second oldest of 7 children. Brett was an exceptional athlete, exceling in basketball, football and track. At West Division High School, he earned two letters for football, two letters for track and made it to Badger Boys State numerous times, while consistently maintaining exemplary grades. Although fairly quiet, Brett was well-liked by fellow classmates and chosen by them to be Prom King. He remained physically active throughout his life going to the gym regularly to lift weights, swim, run, walk or join a pickup game of basketball when the opportunity presented itself. He relished competitive ping pong games with his brother Bruce on Sundays. Brett attended Marquette University and UW-Milwaukee where he majored in English then utilized his education to begin his career in Public Relations and Marketing, ultimately starting his own business, Communicators, in 1982. In addition to being a wordsmith, he was an excellent photographer. He maintained great working relationships with several of his clients for decades. He even finished a newsletter for his sister Sharon just prior to his passing. He cherished time spent with family enjoying good conversation, eating home cooked meals and drinking craft beer. When hosted by his son Derek (Sue) and daughter Janet (Joe) and their kids, he was partial to a glass or two of Lindemans Kriek Lambic to accompany desert. He loved spending time with his grandkids Dylan, Kiersten, Trevor and Rachael, especially for their birthdays, when he could spend time with them each individually. He enjoyed discovering what was happening in their lives and keeping his finger on the pulse of what inspired their generation. Gramps was proud of his grandkids and always eager to introduce them to his friends at Panera. Your St. Nick treat bags will be sorely missed by your grandkids and probably even more by your kids. No longer just a phone call away, Brett will truly be missed by his family and siblings. Always an avid music aficionado, we’ll remember you with the warm sun on your face, driving with the windows down listening to the Rolling Stones, Bob Seeger, Beethoven, Metallica, Dave Brubeck, Simon and Garfunkel, Harry Belafonte or maybe even the Carpenters. God speed on your journey Brett! A private memorial will be held. Ever the supporter of a fit mind and body, in lieu of flowers, feel free to make a donation in his name to: Southwest YMCA - Southwest-YMCA https://www.gwcymca.org/Support-the-Y/Donate Or West Allis Public Library - West Allis Public Library https://www.westallislibrary.org/183/Our-Foundation