November 11, 1942 – August 25, 2025
Nicholas Lee Murphy passed away peacefully on August 25, 2025, at the age of 82 in Moab.
Nick was born on November 11, 1942, to Nicholas Joseph Murphy and Thelma Louise Garlett in Moab. He attended Grand Country High School and graduated in 1960.
He attended the College of Eastern Utah in Price and later served two years in the Army in Vietnam, where he was a patrol sergeant in a deep reconnaissance platoon and a weapons tester with top-security clearance.
Nick married the love of his life, Patricia Gayle Jacobs, on February 17, 1968, and they lived in Moab for the rest of his life.
Nick worked as an underground miner until the late 1980s, and then went to work for his wife, Patti. The two ran Moab’s Nifty Fashions until its closing in 2014, when they both retired.
Nick enjoyed hunting, fishing, and driving up to his beloved La Sal Mountains each day to make sure all was well and see how many animals he could count. He especially loved his family.
Nick is survived by his sister, Zola (Gary) Sloop of Las Vegas, Nevada; and his brother, Jay (Karen) Murphy of Monroe, North Carolina; his wife, Patricia Murphy of Moab; his children, Nicholas Lee (Tessie) Murphy of Smithfield, Utah; Holly Ann (Edward) Murphy of Bowie, Maryland; and Mallory Lynn (Lee) McLackland of Moab. He is also survived by 15 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren— with numbers 19 and 20 on the way. He was preceded in death by his mom Thelma, his dad Nick Sr., his grandparents, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
A viewing will be held on Friday, September 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Spanish Valley Mortuary (386 N 100 W, Moab). The funeral will be held on Saturday, September 6 at 10 a.m. at St. Pius Catholic Church (122 W 400 N, Moab). Interment will immediately follow at Sunset Memorial Cemetery in Spanish Valley.
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