Jesse R.W. Murphy Sr.

Jesse Richardson Murphy, born on July 1, 1939, in Atlanta, Georgia, passed away on March 9, 2026, at the age of eighty-six at the Advanced Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. The eldest of five children born to James M. Murphy, Sr. and Ollie Mae Taylor, Jesse grew up in New Haven, attending several elementary schools, Fair Haven Junior High School, and Wilbur Cross High School, where he played in the high school band.

After high school, Jesse became one of the founding members of the doo-wop group The Five Satins. He traveled with the group for nearly two years, playing piano and singing, and was the last surviving original member. The experience gave him an early glimpse of the music industry’s darker side, and he returned home with firm warnings to his younger brothers to avoid drugs. By trade, Jesse was a skilled machinist who worked at several machine shops in and around the New Haven area for more than forty-five years. He later took online courses and became a licensed bartender, though he never pursued that profession. He found joy in sports, cooking, restoring Buick cars, and spending time with family and friends.

Jesse is survived by his brothers, Lawrence E. Murphy, Sr. (Mary) and James Morris Murphy, Jr.; his four sons, Jesse Murphy, Jr. (Michele), Ralph Murphy, Mitchell Murphy (Renee), and Michael Murphy; several grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and a host of nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Raleigh-Joe Taylor, and his sisters, Anna Mae Huff, Lois Rush, Yvonne Worthington, and Marie Perkins.