Howard L. Murphy died on December 11, 2016 just shy of his 97th birthday. He was born on January 9th, 1920 at home on the family farm southwest of Girard. His parents were Hoyt Murphy and Hattie (Nye) Murphy. Howard attended eight years of elementary school at the one-room Cyclone School and graduated from Girard High School in the class of 1938. He and Mildred Guss were married on June 20, 1941. They were married for nearly 63 years until her death in 2003. Howard became an apprentice electrician and then developed his skills as an Electrician's mate in the Navy from 1942 until 1945. He served in the Atlantic, the Pacific, and in North Africa on the destroyer escort, Henry R. Kenyon, and on the tender ship, Delta. After discharge from the service, he traveled the east as a construction electrician working on projects that ranged from sky scrapers to power plants to missile bases. His aim was always to return to Kansas and to farming and raising cattle, which they happily did in 1957. He was a 75 year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. He was also a member of Mt. Olive Baptist Church at rural Girard. For the last nine years, Howard was at home at Westridge in Girard. He valued the caring support and the many friendships that he experienced there. Howard was the last of five siblings and was pre-deceased by his parents; his brothers, Lawrence, Charles, and Warren' and his sister Alice. He is survived by his daughter, Donna and her partner, Margaret Cruikshank, of Maine, sister-in-law, Marjorie Murphy, and many nieces and nephews. A celebration of his long life will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday at Mt. Olive Baptist Church. Burial will be in the Girard Cemetery. Friends may visit at the Smith-Carson-Wall Funeral Home after 10 a.m., Thursday. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to Westridge Assisted Living, Mt. Olive Baptist Church, or the Girard Public Library and these may be left at the Smith-Carson-Wall Funeral Home, 518 W St. John, Box 258, Girard, 66743.