Michael E. Murphy, age 87, beloved husband of Adele (nee Kasupski) Murphy; dear father of Leslie (William) Barker, Glenn (Laura Kane) Murphy, and Christopher (Eileen) Murphy; loving grandfather of Laura Barker, Zachary Barker, Lauren Murphy, Olivia Murphy, Frances Murphy, Mary Curran Murphy, and Emmett Murphy. Mike was a proud graduate of Boston College and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. After college, he served as a Counterintelligence Investigator for the U.S. Army and was appointed Special Agent in Charge of the Camden, New Jersey Field Office.

Over his career, Mike worked for a number of companies. He worked for Sara Lee Corporation from 1979 until he retired in 1997. He served as CFO and CAO and Vice Chairman of the Boad. He also served as President of the Sara Lee Foundation from 1995 to 2001. He served on the Boards of Directors of Payless ShoeSource, Coach, GATX Corporation, American General Insurance, CNH Global NV, Bassett Furniture, True North, National Association of Manufacturers, and the Northern Funds.

Additionally, he served on a number of not-for-profit boards. He served as a Director of Big Shoulders Fund, Catholic Theological Union, Civic Federation, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Cultural Center Foundation, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Jobs for Youth, the Joffrey Ballet, and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. He was a trustee of Boston College and a member of the Advisory Board of the Kellogg Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University.

A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church (ICSJ Parish) , 1107 North Orleans Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610 at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 28, 2023.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Big Shoulders Fund, 212 West Van Buren Street, Suite 900, Chicago, Illinois 60607, www.bigshouldersfund.org or to a charity of your choice.

For further information please call 312-421-0936.