Melvin Floyd Murphy

Melvin F. Murphy was born April 16, 1921, at home in Corinne, Utah, with Dr. D.A. Cooley attending. The family home and farm was beside the Bear River on what the local residents called Poverty Bend. His mother, Emma LoVean Jensen''s family were LDS Pioneers from Scandinavia. His father, Milton Floyd Murphy''s family, of Irish/English extraction, came to Corinne with the railroad.

He attended the old Corinne school and graduated from Box Elder High School where he excelled in scholarship and was active in musicals and was sometimes the soloist with his rich bass voice. He attended Weber State then a two-year college, then went to (now) USU. He took flying lessons in college and was able to teach a few things to his flight instructors in the air corp.

While he was stationed at Lubbock, Texas, he invited the pretty Fay Hall of Garland, Utah to visit him. He found her an apartment and it wasn''t long till they had a wedding on the airbase and both lived in the apartment whenever he could be there. That began 56 years of a loving marriage. She remained with him at different airbases till he brought her home to Garland, Utah and left for England. After WWII, their marriage was sealed in the Ogden LDS Temple.

Melvin participated many, many hours as a glider pilot in five major invasions in Europe. At Normandy, he flew 26 fully armed soldiers over the channel and over the ground invasion to a designated landing field behind enemy lines. The field was full of Rommel''s Asparagus, (poles planted in the ground with barbed-wire strung between) plowing through hedge-rows and across a country road where they were slowed down enough to come to a stop at the trunk of a large tree. No one was hurt but the glider. They then all became foot-soldiers and made their way back to Allied lines.

He was at the disastrous (especially for the British) campaign at Nimegan, in the Netherlands. Between battles, he carried supplied to Patton and brought wounded out.

The last and biggest campaign was called Varsity, the Crossing of the Rhine, this was the biggest air-borne operation that ever was or ever will be. It took place on March 24, 1945, allowing Allied troops to pour into Germany. The war in Europe ended less than two months later.

Melvin came home to Fay and a beautiful little daughter named, Susan. In due time, Michael Floyd joined the family. The children were a lifelong source of pride and joy to their parents. Mel never missed an opportunity to tell all about their achievements.

Mel received his master''s degree at Oklahoma State. He worked at Swift''s in Ogden then for Reichold Chemical, where his abilities and energy were fully appreciated. He became the manager of eight plants in the Western United Sates.

He and Fay returned to Corinne after retirement where they were active in church and civic affairs. Fay died September 20, 1999. On the first day of spring in 2002, he married Lucille Phillips Hansen for time in the Ogden LDS Temple. He died February 27, 2010 at home in Corinne, Utah, with his family near.

Mel is survived by his wife, Lucille; daughter Susan Murphy, son, Michael (Geneva) Murphy, step-children, Greg (Cheryl) Hansen, Corey Hansen and Annette Baty, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, three step-grandchildren and six step-great-grandchildren.

A special "Thank You" to the wonderful people at Alpine Hospice and Right-at-Home.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, March 3rd at 12 noon at the Corinne LDS Church, 2335 North 4000 West, with a viewing between 10:30 and 11:45 a.m. that morning.

Interment, Corinne Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the LDS Humanitarian Fund or your favorite charity.

Send condolences to the family at: www.lindquistmortuary.com /stop