Barry Edward Murphy, 57, of Cambridge, MA and Glen, NH, was born in San Francisco, CA. He leaves his partner, Maribeth Ladd, brother Owen Murphy of California, in-laws Jacqueline and Paul Ladd of Wayland, MA, Jessica Ladd and Bill Brack of Sharon, MA, niece and nephew Isabel and Ben Brack of Sharon, MA and Princeton, NJ, as well as many Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins who reside in California and Oregon, friends, and two beloved cats, Mogg and Bumbles. He was predeceased by his parents, John and Ardell Jean Murphy, and brother Neil.
Barry grew up in Novato, CA. From a young age, he was an avid and passionate skier, rock climber, hiker, kayaker, runner, mountain biker, and reader. After graduating from Sacramento State University with a degree in Geography, Barry spent the first half of his career as a Park Ranger on the American River in Sacramento. It was his dream job and allowed him to devote as much time as possible to enjoying adventures, along with the occasional misadventure, in his beloved Sierra Nevada on skis as well as on foot.
In 1999, Barry met Maribeth hiking the Inca Trail in Peru, and eventually relocated to the Boston area. Barry was a member of the San Marin High School football team and remained a steadfast San Francisco sports fan, although he enjoyed attending the occasional Boston College football game with friends and family. He earned a Master's Degree in Education and embarked on a second career as a special education teacher in Newton, MA from which he retired in 2018. Together, Barry and Maribeth bought a 130 year-old home in Cambridge. Barry enjoyed honing his home improvement skills, dedicating much of his annual summer break to one or another meticulous renovation projects. Barry continued his adventures at every opportunity, climbing peaks in Africa, Europe, South America, Nepal, and throughout North America. He and Maribeth also enjoyed many tamer trips, most recently celebrating his birthday in the Everglades and Florida Keys.
After moving his home base to the East Coast, Barry developed a strong affinity for the White Mountains. He spent as much time as possible at his home in Glen, nestled in the woods. It was his favorite place to be.
Barry excelled at enjoying life. He particularly cherished his semi-annual wilderness ski and backpacking trips throughout the Western states with his longtime friend, Bob Corbett of Foresthill, California. Barry thoroughly enjoyed every single adventure, especially repeat trips to the Wind River Range in Wyoming, regardless of bad weather, accidents, equipment malfunction, or wayfinding problems. To Barry, there was no such thing as a bad day in the mountains. Grounded from planned trips farther afield by the pandemic this spring and summer, Barry devoted himself to successfully growing sunflowers in an array of colors, hiking the smaller mountains of New Hampshire, paddling Conway Lake, eating ice cream, exploring the coast of Massachusetts, reading good books, and chopping firewood at his home in Glen.
Barry's warmth, humor, exuberance, kindness, always sunny personality, incredible determination, and infectious laughter will be dearly missed.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Conway Area Humane Society, www.conwayshelter.org