Henry Brown Murphy

PENNINGTON — Henry Brown Murphy, 88, of Pennington died peacefully on Thursday, August 8, 2013.

He was born and raised in Trenton. For more than 50 years, Mr. Murphy operated the M. William Murphy Funeral Home, which is still family owned and operated since 1870.

He was a graduate of the Lawrenceville Preparatory School and attended Georgetown University and the Eckles College of Mortuary Science. He served in the signal corps, 3rd Army, European Theatre, from 1943 to 1946. Mr. Murphy was the Secretary of Resorts International, Inc. for many years before becoming the Chairman in 1986 following the death of his brother-inlaw, James M. Crosby. He also served on the Board of Directors of Twin Fair, Inc. (formerly Unexcelled Chemical Corporation), The Trenton Trust Company and The National State Bank.

He was a Councilman-at-Large of the City of Trenton from 1962 to 1970. Other services included President of the War Memorial Commission, ViceChairman of the Parking Authority Commission, member of the Trenton Planning Board and past president of the Mercer County Funeral Directors Association.

Mr. Murphy was involved in the Boy Scouts of America, where he served in many capacities in the local George Washington Council and the Northeast Region before being named to the National Board of Directors in 1984. He was awarded the Silver Buffalo Award, The Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award and the Silver Beaver Award. He was also active in Catholic Scouting, where he held many positions before being elected as Chairman of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting in 1980. In these capacities he earned the St. George Award and the Pelican Award as well as the For God and Youth award from the National Catholic Conference of Bishops.

Mr. Murphy was named to the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II In 1979. He served as a trustee of the Church of the Incarnation, a member of Trenton Diocese Pastoral Board, the Knights of Columbus, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, the Trenton Kiwanis Club and the Navy League. He was a past member of the Board of Trustees of The Hun School of Princeton and Stuart County Day School. A long time board member of Morris Hall/St. Lawrence, he served as chairman during its building expansion. Mr. Murphy was also a past president of the Pelletier Day School and the Mount Carmel Guild and was a past board member of the Trenton Chamber of Commerce and the Trenton Country Club.

Son of the late Rose Brown and M. William Murphy, and brother of the late Catherine Murphy Graham and M. William Murphy, Jr., he is survived by his wife of 63 years, Elaine Crosby Murphy; two daughters, Rosemary (Rusti) Murphy Kitts and her husband Stephen; M. Elaine Murphy Arnold and her husband Mark, both of Yardley, Pa., and three sons, Henry B. Murphy Jr. and his wife Eileen of Princeton Junction, John C. Murphy and his wife Marcia, and Stephen M. Murphy, both of Coronado, Calif. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Stephen R. Kitts and his wife Jill Simeone, Emilie Kitts Ricker and her husband Aaron, Kathryn Kitts and Elizabeth Kitts, Kathleen Murphy, John Murphy and Patrick Murphy, John C. Murphy, Jr., Suzanne Arnold and James Arnold; two great-granddaughters, Ava and Stella Kitts. He also leaves behind many nieces, nephews and cousins.

The family will receive friends on Monday, August 12, 2013 from 3 until 8 p.m. at the M. William Murphy Funeral Home, 935 Parkway Ave., Ewing, NJ 08618. Please visit www.murphyfh.com for additional information.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday at 10 a.m. in the Church of St. Ann, 1253 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: The Village Charter School Fund, 101 Sullivan Way, Trenton, NJ 08628 or St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center, 2381 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.

NEW YORK (AP) — For years, curiosity seekers visiting the Fort Worth, Texas, grave of Lee Harvey Oswald have wondered about the simple headstone next door, marked Nick Beef.

It turns out Nick Beef is alive and living in New York.

The New York Times reports that the 56-year-old man who uses that name purchased the cemetery plot next to Oswald’s in 1975 and had the granite marker placed there in 1997.

Beef, born Patric Abedin, now lives in Manhattan and calls himself a nonperforming performance artist.

On Nov. 21, 1963, President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, landed at the former Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth as part of a two-day Texas tour.

Beef, then 6 years old, was sitting on the shoulders of a military police officer in the crowd when the first couple passed just a few feet away. Oswald shot Kennedy the next day. Young Patric used to sometimes visit Oswald’s grave with his mother.

He recalled that she told him: “Never forget that you got to see Kennedy the night before he died.”

When he was 18, Beef read that the burial plot next to Oswald’s was available.

He bought it for $17.50 down and 16 monthly payments of $10.

Beef said he has often asked himself why he wanted it. “It meant something to me in life,” is the only answer he can come up with.

Beef moved to New York, married, had two children and divorced.

He did some freelance comedy writing using the name Nick Beef, a moniker he came up with while joking around with a friend.

His mother died in late 1996 and he returned to Texas to arrange her funeral.

He told the Times that during his stay, he visited his burial plot and decided to buy a gravestone with the exact dimensions as Oswald’s.

He told the cemetery official to inscribe it Nick Beef.

He has no plans to ever be buried there. He said he would prefer to be cremated.