Don "Murph" Murphy, 80, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, after a short illness, with family at his side.

A Memorial service will be held Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 1:00pm. at the Fairfax American Legion, 216 Main St; Fairfax Iowa, with Military Rites to follow. A luncheon will immediately follow the service in the Brosh Chapel and The Avacentre, 2121 Bowling St SW in Cedar Rapids. A private family inurnment will take place at a later date.

Don was born April 5, 1946, to John and Madeline (Monaghan) Murphy and spent his childhood growing up in Fairfax, Ia. He enjoyed the small-town culture, working with his dad in Murphy's Plumbing and Heating business, raising sheep for 4-H, and baling hay on his cousins' farms. His spare time was spent playing sports with his friends. He had a passion for baseball, playing on his high school team and the Fairfax Men's Amateur team in the Iowa Valley League, which eventually led to Don becoming the team manager. He later served on the Board of Directors for the Iowa Valley league and the Iowa Amateur Baseball Association.

After attending St Patrick's Elementary School in Fairfax, Don graduated in 1964 from Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, he continued his education at Loras College in Dubuque, then transferred to Iowa State University after switching career paths from accounting to engineering, where he received a degree in Construction Technology. After graduating from Iowa State, he was drafted into the US Army and served for 21 months, 11 of those in hostile conditions in South Vietnam. Being honorably discharged, Seargent Murphy was awarded numerous medals and citations, including a Bronze Star medal. He took great pride in his service and remained an honorable Veteran throughout his life, being a lifelong member of the Fairfax American Legion Pekomy Post 572 and the Patrick J. Shanahan VFW Post 788 of Cedar Rapids.

Don then began his surveying career with Shive-Hattery & Associates of Cedar Rapids where he spent 40 years doing boundary and lay-out work. He was entrusted with numerous large-scale projects such as Coral Ridge Mall, Duane Arnold Energy Center, I-380, I-80, I-235, Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, the Northern Border Pipeline, and many more. After obtaining his Professional Land Surveying License, Don served on the Board of Directors for the Society of Land Surveyors of Iowa for many years, receiving numerous awards for his extraordinary and devoted service to the land surveying profession. He also chaired the Trig-Star committee within the National Society of Professional Surveyors, spreading awareness as well as career opportunities of the surveying profession through a scholarship testing program given in area high school math classes.

Don married later in his life, in November of 2005, at the age of 59, to Maureen Duggan of Fairfax. This event was witnessed by a standing-room only crowd at St. Patrick Church in Fairfax. Being well known for maintaining his bachelor status for so many years, the wedding was attended by many of their friends and relatives who had to "see it to believe it!"

Don was preceded in death by his parents, his brother-in-law Jerry Rayman of Cedar Rapids, his sister-in-law Chris (Beaty) Murphy of Keokuk, Ia; and his step-granddaughter Mackenzie Lown of Amana Ia.

He is survived by his wife, Maureen, his sister Kathleen Murphy of South Bend Indiana, his sister Lois Rayman of Cedar Rapids, and his brother John Murphy of Keokuk, Iowa, and his many nieces and nephews. Don also leaves behind six stepchildren; Vanessa Smith, Jake Smith, Stephanie (Nick) Volk, Emily (Mark) Prahm, Theresa (Matt) Mackey, Marjorie (Rashid) Barrett and seventeen step-grandchildren, who all knew him only as Grandpa Donny.

Memorial contributions may be made to your favorite nonprofit charity in honor of Donald James Murphy.

Our heartfelt gratitude is extended to Brosh Chapel and staff for the thoughtful care and guidance we were given throughout this journey.