Michael James Murphy,70, of rural Sparland Illinois, passed away April 25, 2024. Mike was born on October 28, 1953 to the late Jack and Janine (Harney)Murphy at the US Naval Hospital in Great Lakes Illinois. He was a 1972 graduate of Sparland High School and attended Southern Illinois University's Aviation Technology program in 1979. In 1983, Mike attended University of Southern California for Aviation communication management and Helicopter accident investigations.
Mike was an accomplished pilot for over 20 years, holding a commercial license for helicopters and fixed wing planes with a private sea plane endorsement. He owned and operated his own helicopter pollinating service "Prairie Copters". Mike was employed with the BNSF Railroad as a conductor with 28 years of service. He is survived by his sister Tammy (Mike) Stumbaugh, with whom he resided with for the last five months; nieces Tracy (Jamar) Williams, Chelsy (Seth) Braun, Jodi (Ben) Schmidt, Amy Robinson, Katelyn (Justin) Sch

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/michael-murphy-obituary?id=55071021