Christopher Murphy

Christopher Randolph Murphy, 37, passed away on Sunday, July 10, 2011. Known as â??Murphâ? to his family and friends, he was a resident of Greenville, North Carolina and was originally from Wakefield. Chris earned his Bachelors and Masters Degree from East Carolina University where he fell in love with the college and Greenville. He moved back to Wakefield and worked for Associated Distributors and Smithfield Packing, but yearned to return to ECU and Greenville. He moved to Greenville in 2002 and worked as an Admissions Counselor at Barton College, but his heart bled purple and gold, and so in 2004, his career began in East Carolina University Admissions as an Admissions Counselor. A couple of years later, he became the Assistant Director. He had a passion for his job and loved the kids that he recruited. His role in the office was to recruit mostly in North Carolina with the CACROA tour. (Carolina Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) He â??ruledâ? that tour. His other â??recruiting territoriesâ? were the Virginia Beach area and areas around his home town where he would know every single student, their family and every single high school counselor. Chris and CACRAO were synonymous. He also maintained an alumni group of recruiters that would recruit prospective students for ECU at college fairs throughout the United States. He worked with athletics a lot and also taught a Freshman Seminar course at ECU for new athletes last year. In addition, he worked with ECUâ??s freshman orientation three summers in a row from 2006 through 2008. In 2006, he began working with Chi Phi (a fraternity at ECU) as their campus advisor. He was named the Infraternity Council Advisor of the Year in 2008 and proudly displayed his plaque in his office. Chris lived life to the fullest and never met a stranger.
He was predeceased by his father, Freddie Randolph Murphy and his maternal grandfather, Elmer Harrup. Chris is survived by his parents, Ray and Ronnie Phillips; brothers, Ray Phillips and his wife, Brandee, Scott Phillips and his wife, Tanya and Bill Phillips and his wife, Alaina; niece and nephew, Aynslee and Aydan Phillips; maternal grandmother Huris â??Mar Marâ? Harrup; paternal grandparents, Randolph and Dolly Murphy; aunt, Vicki Halon; his cousin who was like a brother to him, James Rogers and his wife, Leah and their children, Jamison and Addison Rogers; numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.
There will be a viewing at the Wakefield Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home on Wednesday, July 13, 2011 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, but the family will be receiving friends at their home. A funeral service will be held at 2:00PM on Thursday, July 14, 2011 at Wakefield United Methodist Church with Pastor Willie Guill officiating. Burial will follow at Wakefield Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to ECU Foundation Greenville Center, Attn: Chris Murphy Scholarship, 2200 South Charles Blvd., Suite 2200, Greenville, NC 27858. Condolences may be posted at www.jtmorriss.com .