Jeremiah L. Murphy, 70, of Duxbury, formerly of Bethesda, Md., died on Dec. 4.

He leaves his wife Susan (Jones); children Jennifer, of Bethesda, Md., Priscilla, of Waltham, and John, of New York, NY; sister Joan Kelly and grandchildren Dylan Jeremiah and Aidan O’Brien.

Born in New York City, the son of John J. and Mary Lucile Murphy, Murphy grew up in White Plains, NY and graduated from Steppinack High School.  He graduated from the general program at the University of Notre Dame in 1960, and went on to pursue graduate studies in government and political science, earning his PhD from Indiana University in 1964.  He was a Loeb Fellow in the Harvard University Design School.

He began teaching at Wheaton College in Norton in 1967, where he met his future wife, and worked for the college in different capacities for 41 years.  In 1986, Jerry became vice president of government affairs at Siemens Corporation, heading their office in Washington, DC. In 2000, he transitioned to being the executive director of the business-higher education forum.  Upon returning to New England in 2004, he returned to Wheaton as director of external affairs and associate professor of government and political science.

A funeral service will be held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Cohasset on Wednesday, Dec. 10, at 2 p.m. Burial will be private.  Memorial gifts may be made to Wheaton College, Norton, MA to establish the Jeremiah L. Murphy Student Scholarship Fund.