ILION- Mr. Gary Roger Murphy, age 72, passed away peacefully on Tuesday evening, May 3, 2016, in the comfort of his son's home with his loving family at his bedside. Born on May 8, 1943, Gary was the son of the late William and Dorothy Murphy. He was raised and educated locally, and upon graduation from Frankfort High School, he proudly served in the United States Navy from 1964 to 1966. He was married to Barbara Couchman Wainwright for 25 years. Gary was a longtime employee of MDS until the company's closure, and then went to work for Mele Manufacturing, a position from which he retired. He was heavily involved in youth baseball as a past president of the Ilion Little League and Babe Ruth, as well as a baseball coach and umpire for many years. He was a member of the Ilion Moose Lodge. In his younger years, Gary enjoyed his sister's chocolate chip cookies and his father's bacon-wrapped turkey, all after a hard day's work on his aunt's farm. As an adult, he enjoyed fishing trips with his brother, cutting wood with his sons, camping and travelling with family and friends, and driving his Mustang. Gary was involved in many bowling and golf leagues, and following his retirement, he could be seen almost daily walking with his canine companion, Al, and other dogs. Gary leaves his sons and daughters-in-law, Kevin and JoAnne (Barnes) Murphy and Tim and Roxanne (Pickett) Murphy, all of Ilion; his daughter and son-in-law, Jessica and Eric VanHemel of Lexington, KY; his grandchildren, Liam, MacKenzie and Payton; and his sister, Jeanene (Murphy) Papa Jones of Florida. He is also survived by a brother-in-law, William Zaffarano of Richfield Springs; sisters-in-law, Marianne (Murphy) Feurstien and her husband, Larry, of Missouri and Joan Omerzu Holen and her husband, Orion, of Virginia; his nieces and nephews, Debbie and Dennis Rector and Dennis and Elaine Zaffarano all of Richfield Springs, Terry Zaffarano Voorhees of Ilion, Erin Murphy and Kristin (Murphy) Parker of Missouri, Melissa Papa and Pam (Papa) Devine of Florida, Mark Omerzu of Cape Cod and Kristin (Omerzu) Rhodes of Pennsylvania; as well as many great-nieces, great-nephews, and his beloved canine companion, Al. Gary was blessed with many wonderful and dear friends throughout his lifetime, including Larry Hubbel, James Roach, Freddie Jones (his golf partner), and Donna Kjar. Besides his parents, Gary was predeceased by his brother, William Murphy and his sister, Donna (Murphy) Zaffarano. He will be dearly missed, but will reunite with family and friends in another place, along with seeing his beloved canine companions at Rainbow Bridge. As per his request, Gary will be laid to rest in Saratoga National Cemetery. A gathering of his friends and family will be held on Monday, May 9, 2016 beginning at 4:00 PM at the Ilion Elk's Lodge. The Murphy Family would like to acknowledge Gary's Primary Care PA, Larry Martinson, Ilion Kinney Drugs Pharmacy Staff, the staff of the Regional Cancer Center, Bassett Home Care and Hospice for the care and compassion shown to Gary during his illness. In lieu of floral arrangements, memorial donations in Gary's memory can be made to The Herkimer County Humane Society or Hospice and Palliative Care; envelopes will be available at Gary's Celebration of Life at the Ilion Elk's. Gary's funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Harry J. Enea, Kevin E. Enea and Martin L. Ciaccia, funeral directors of the Enea Family Funeral Home, 4309 Acme Road, Ilion (Town of Frankfort), NY, 315-894-8000.