“The department and the city are better off for his many years of service,” said Fairfield police Chief Steve Maynard.
Murphy was still an active-duty officer but had been off for several months.
CONDOLENCES: Offer condolences to Chris Murphy’s family
“Chris was genuinely one of those really good people,” said Maynard. “I can truthfully say in the 20 years I have known Chris, I have never seen him raise his voice or say something mean or harsh to anyone.”
Murphy’s funeral procession will bring him to the police station one last time on Saturday morning, said Fairfield police officer Doug Day.
“Chris was the kindest and most gentle person you’d ever meet,” said Day, who joined the Fairfield department at the same time as Murphy. “He just was a great dude.”
The procession will leave the Neidhard-Young Funeral Home on Hamilton Avenue in Mount Healthy around 9:30 a.m. Saturday and will travel north on Pleasant Avenue (Ohio 127) to make its way to the Fairfield Justice Center. The procession will pull into the parking lot off Nilles Road and drive by the court and police station before heading to St. John the Baptist in Colerain Twp.
In his 27 years with the city, Murphy was a patrol officer, field training officer, bicycle officer and detective. He was previously honored by the Fairfield Rotary as their Officer of the Year.
“Chris was an amazing husband, father and friend,” Day said. “He will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.”
Day said that until he received a terminal cancer diagnosis, Murphy still believed he could beat the disease and rejoin his fellow officers.
Kathy Becker, an outreach coordinator at Access Counseling Services, has worked with the Fairfield Police Department and municipal court for years. She called Murphy, “A fine officer and individual who served the community with empathy and compassion.”
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Chris is survived by his wife, Donna; children Matthew (Emily Johnson), Jessica and Hannah Murphy; mother, Mary Murphy; siblings Connie (Lou) Jacquemin, Kathy (Alan) Bolopue, Tim (Mary Kay) Murphy, Tom (Theresa) Murphy, Jim (Donna) Murphy, Mike (Beth) Murphy, Joe (Janet) Murphy, Paul (Jayne) Murphy, Gina (John) Tomlinson, Tara (Joe Seibert) Murphy and Dominic Murphy; parents-in-law Darwin and Evelyn Floyd; and sister-in-law Diane Floyd. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
The visitation is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 5361 Dry Ridge Road, Colerain Twp., and the Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at the church. The mass will be live-streamed on the church's Facebook page.
Donations in Murphy's memory can be made to the American Cancer Society.
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