Francis John "Jack" Murphy, 51, Rapid City, died Tuesday, January 4, 2011, at Rapid City Regional Hospital.

Visitation will be noon until time of services on Sunday at the Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis.

Funeral services will be held at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis with Pastor Wes Labrier officiating.

Jack was born July 22, 1959, at Phillip, SD, to Francis N. and Marlyn (Moore) Murphy. The family moved to Madison where Jack attended country school through the third grade. While an 8th grader in Madison, Jack won the Sioux Falls Argus Leader Spelling Contest. He completed his sophomore year at Madison High School before moving to Pierre, SD, where he graduated from T.F. Riggs High School. While in school, Jack participated in basketball, FFA, and 4-H softball. He attended one year of college at Dakota State College in Madison. He was a former member of the SD Army National Guard. Jack worked at Wenks Produce in Madison and later as a cabinet maker for Rosebud Manufacturing.

Jack married Susan Nielson at Storm Mt. in the Black Hills in August of 1991.

Jack worked in Las Vegas before moving back to the Black Hills where he worked in Hot Springs for Simunek Sprinkler Systems. He married Candace Ketterling at Hot Springs in August of 2002. He moved to Sturgis and worked at Walmart in Spearfish. At the time of his death, Jack was a resident of Rapid City.

Jack was a huge Vikings and Twins fan. He enjoyed Kareoke, playing cards, fishing, cooking and excelled in a good game of pool. Some former teachers referred to him as "smart" and "talented". His pride and joy was his son, Adam. He was also a talented writer.

Survivors include his son, Adam P. Murphy, Sioux Falls, SD; his mother, Marlyn Murphy, Sturgis; sisters, Marletta (Roger) Eich, Madison, SD, Sandy (Larry) Rhoden, Union Center, Debbie (Leo) Schnell, Sturgis, and Trish (Jerry) Grouzis, Sioux Falls; and many nieces and nephews. Other survivors include his aunt, Louetta (Curt) Head, Ozark, AL; uncles, Edward Doerr, Gettysburg, SD, Jack (Nancy) Moore, Las Vegas, NV, and Tom (Kathy) Moore, Apache Junction, AZ; and many beloved cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by his father, Francis N. Murphy; both maternal and paternal grandparents; aunts, Daisy Doerr and Helen Langslet; and cousins, Dennis and Carla Doerr, Ashley Buchanan, Ronnie Nafziger, Glen and Gary Billingsley, Henly Ardin, Eldon Johnson and Larry Nelson.

Memorials have been established to the Northern Hills Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center, American Lung Association and American Heart Association.