Justin Ryan "JR" Murphy

Justin Ryan "JR" Murphy passed away on Saturday, January 31st, 2015 at his home in Austin, Texas, having taken his own life after a prolonged battle with mental illness. He is survived by his mother Ira, father Thomas, sister, brother, and a large extended family. He also leaves behind many beloved friends from school. Justin was born in 1999 in Detroit, Michigan and moved to Corpus Christi, Texas before his first birthday. In 2002, the family moved back to Michigan where Justin attended Temple Beth-El preschool. In 2004, the family moved to Lihue, Hawaii (island of Kauai), where he attended Island School. In 2005, the family moved back to Corpus Christi, where Justin was placed into the gifted and talented program at Windsor Park Elementary. In 2010, Justin moved to Austin, Texas, where he attended Canyon Ridge Middle School and was active in theater and the video gaming club. Later, he attended Vandegrift High School, where he was active in the LGBT-Straight Alliance, an organization in which he found solace. Justin was extremely bright and very talented. His hobbies included drawing, writing, listening to music, playing and even programming video games, building Lego models, and designing contraptions like rubber-band guns. Justin wanted peace and happiness, but he also wanted to be accepted and loved. While he was sometimes unable to reciprocate the affection his family and friends tried to give him, we are sure that he appreciated and cherished it. We are also certain that his wish to find peace has been fulfilled. A gathering to commemorate Justin's life will be held from 1:00 to 4:00 PM on Sunday, February 8th, 2015 in the Weed-Corley-Fish Chapel on 411 Ranch Road 620 South in Austin, Texas.