About Us

In 1911, R.K. Crane started his career in funeral service and was the founder of this funeral home. In 1932, he purchased this stately home from the Penn family which was built in 1876, and moved his funeral business to this location. The family tradition continued thru the years as the Crane-Ewart-Young Funeral Home, until 1976, when it was purchased by Bob Beatty. The Beatty's also owned the Waterman Funeral Home in Salem: and operated the ambulance service and furniture store, these were closed with the move to the current location in Mt. Pleasant. In July of 2005, the funeral home was sold to Jeff Murphy, a native of the Lockridge and Mt. Pleasant communities, and continues to be owned and operated as a family owned business. The name has changed to the Murphy Funeral Home.

"The staff and I are committed to providing experience and professional service to the families we serve. We treat each family as if they were our own. Your personal requests and wishes are of the utmost importance to both me and the staff of the funeral home. We are here to help families and friends through a very difficult time in their lives with the loss of a loved one. We are here for guidance before, and most of all after, the service. Our funeral home provides a full range of funeral service options from traditional religious services to simple cremation services, along with monument sales.

We are proud members of the Iowa Funeral Director Association, The National Funeral Directors Association. Jeff is active in the community having served on the Fellowship Cup Board for 6 yrs. Lockridge Lions Club as secretary and treasurer, member of the Lockridge Baptist Church where he serves as deacon and church pianist and a member of the Mt. Pleasant Masonic Lodge and serves as the President of Lockridge Cemetery Board, as well as President of Grant Cemetery Board and Treasurer of Cedar Creek Cemetery Board. We are proud to be a part of this community and surrounding communities.