Michael“Mike”Murphy

Mike and his wife Debbie arrived in the Davis Mountains in 1997, rolled up their sleeves, and helped craft one of the largest, most important conservation projects in Texas. They were inseparable, and they loved the land and each other. The next year they moved to the mountains and never left.

Mike Murphy’s friends in Far West Texas would describe him as energetic, friendly, driven, focused, smart, and goodnatured. He mastered many skills over his 71 years.

Mike could create and understand complex financial documents and real estate deals. He possessed carpentry and woodworking skills, would willingly dig a trench in the West Texas hardpan to establish a garden, and could explain the ancient Hebrew alphabet if anyone asked. Mike had a well-defined sense of right and wrong, and he called out equivocation.

Mike Murphy, of Fort Davis, passed away on May 25, Memorial Day, 2026, ending a bedside vigil by family members at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Mike lived the urban, corporate life as a management and technology consultant (IBM, Ernst & Young, among others) until the late 1990s, when he and his wife Debbie bought acreage at the foot of Arabella Mountain near Limpia Crossing in Fort Davis. By 1998, they’d built a log home with inspiring views of McDonald Observatory.

Mike jumped right into community work, helping develop and teach leadership curriculum for Leadership Big Bend. He was interested in the dynamics of groups and conducted workshops in team-building and strategic planning for local businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Over the years, he held almost every officer post in the Fort Davis Lions Club. As a member of Fort Davis United Methodist Church, Mike was involved in a variety of roles and committees and was a familiar participant in local Bible studies.

He brought his energy to the board of Texas Mountain Trail, a tourism promotion arm of the Texas Historical Commission, and served two terms on the Jeff Davis County Appraisal Review Board. Mike’s passion for bicycle riding began when he raced bicycles on velodromes as a member of the St. Louis Cyclones. Mike annually helped plan and round up volunteers for the spring Hammerfest bicycle races in the Davis Mountains and Fort Davis Cyclefest, the annual fall ride on the scenic mountain loop around the town.

For years after the Davis Mountains Preserve was established, he was an active volunteer who spent hundreds of hours clearing roads, building trails, and sharing whenever possible how critical it was to preserve this unique sky island. Mike led hikes on the trails and often cooked and cleaned for scheduled public outings at the Preserve.

Putting his business skills to work, Murphy’s Pizzeria and Café opened in Fort Davis using a pizza dough recipe Mike said he’d been carrying in his wallet for years. With Mike as dough puncher and pizza cook, the restaurant was popular and successful until the restaurant was sold.

Mike joined the Small Business Development Center at SRSU as a business advisor assisting clients with startup planning, financial analysis, and marketing strategies. Later, he earned his real estate license and acquired Texas Mountains Realty, growing the business until it was eventually sold.

All the while, Mike set aside time for bike rides with Debbie, and he frequently joined friends from Marfa and Alpine on rides and hikes. On a trip north, Mike and Debbie explored Denali National Park on a tandem bike. For many Octobers, he explored the canyons of southeast Utah with friends from Fort Davis and Alpine. If someone spotted an interesting-looking cave, Mike would scamper up the rocks to be first to stick his head inside. Mike also rode horses in cattle drives and trail rides in Montana, Oklahoma, Utah, and Big Bend National Park.

Mike was born on November 18, 1954, in Evergreen Park, IL, grew up in the Chicago area, and attended Southern Illinois University and National Lewis University, earning a BA in Behavior Science. He is survived by his wife Debbie, siblings Philip Murphy III (Julia), the late Jeannie Murphy-Mittal (Jim), the late Susan “Suzie” Murphy, Eileen Murphy Amlee (Duane), Sharon Richardson (Tim), Mary Castle (Kent) and David Murphy (Stacy Alexander), sister- in- law Barbara Brescian (John) and brother-in-law Herb Johnson (Laura). Mike is uncle, great-uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend to many others.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at Davis Mountains Preserve McIvor Conservation Center.

Donations in Mike’s memory may be made to Jeff Davis County Food Pantry, P O Box 244, Fort Davis, TX 79734, foodpantry-jdc.org, or to the Fort Davis Volunteer Fire Department, P O Box 811, Fort Davis, TX 79734.