STUART PERRY MURPHY

WATERBURY — Stuart Perry Murphy passed away Nov. 4, 2025, at 90 years old, in the home he built in Waterbury, Vt. For decades, Stuart, forever an artist and mountain man, divided his time between building and writing in Waterbury, writing in Santa Monica Canyon, Calif., and teaching skiing in Taos, N.M. Depending on the season, he would pack up his coffee French-press, lap-top, ski equipment, and his electric keyboard — somehow fitting them all into his high mileage cars — and migrate across our country so no matter where home was, he could write, journal, stay connected to his family and friends, develop his musical, “Bloomers,” practice piano, and live his mantra, “Be Here Now.”

Born in Troy, N.Y., May 21, 1935, son of Mabel (Perry) Murphy and Roger Nicholas Murphy, both educators and musicians, Stuart grew up in Utica, N.Y., with sister, Rosemary (1932-2012) and, for a short time, his maternal grandmother, Rose Holden Perry.

His love of skiing started when he was very young at a park in Utica. In his teens, unsupervised week-long canoe trips and camping adventures in the Adirondacks with best friend, Billy Amrhein, became the foundation for his love of outdoor adventures, rope climbing, hiking, ski trips and downhill races in the Northeast.

Stuart, having been awarded a vocal/opera scholarship, graduated in 1957 from the Jacobs School of Music Opera and Ballet at Indiana University, with a B.A. in Music Education. While designing sets at a theatre/dance camp in Colorado, he met his future wife, Melissa Converse, a student from Stephens College in Missouri, where Stuart had been assigned to be a resident set designer. Once married in 1959, they moved to Los Angeles, where Stuart attended USC, from which he graduated with a M.A. in Cinema/Theatre (1961). While earning this degree he coached opera singers and had his only child, Stacey Lee (Murphy) Dobek before moving to Manhattan in 1962. There he worked as a freelance filmmaker, producer, editor, cameraman, production manager and writer.

In 1968, while both of them were working and living in New York City, Stuart and Melissa bought 17 acres of rough land in Waterbury, Vt., whereupon Stuart hand-built his three-story house on a very challenging site, demonstrating his building skills, architectural prowess, ingenuity and unconventional approach to design. Leaving New York City, the family lived in this home for a brief spell in 1972 before moving to California in 1973, where the family separated and eventually divorced.

Stuart lived in Santa Monica Canyon, Calif., (1973-2014) where he developed his musical “Bloomers,” wrote several screenplays and manuscripts, studied acting with David Proval, and eventually taught acting classes both privately and at Santa Monica College while enjoying the beach, running to the pier, playing frisbee, and making trips to the mountains to ski and hike.

Stuart developed the concept of “Bloomers”, a musical extravaganza that touched upon subjects pertinent to 1851-1852. He wrote the original script and libretto and collaborated with Fred Myrow, (American composer 1939-1999), who wrote the score. For fifty years he revised this piece of work, repeatedly. The last rendition of libretto, script, and score was completed, with the orchestration reformatted and finalized, by Erik Neilson, on the day of his passing.

When surveying properties for a real estate company in 1973, Stuart met Ernie Blake, the founder of Taos Ski Valley. In 1986, at 51 years old and looking for a change of life, he accepted Ernie’s invitation to teach at Taos Ski Valley. For over 35 years, he took great pride as a ski instructor at Taos Ski Valley, (1986-2023); for several years he won the award for most requested instructor or most hours taught. Stuart taught countless students of all ages and levels of experience, touching people’s lives and refining their skiing abilities. He was especially keen to observe where one’s avoidance of the fall line may be impacting their skiing, extending this counter-intuitive relationship with gravity, to life: “Nothing real moves in straight line.” Deb Armstrong, Olympic gold medalist in alpine skiing, has a wonderful interview with Stuart on YouTube called “Aging While Skiing”.

As fate would have it, his house in Waterbury, Vt., burned down in December of 1990 while he was teaching at TSV. Stuart chose to keep the original foundation that he had poured in the sixties and hired a company to raise a three-story timber frame that he designed. He then put up the siding, installed the wood floors, and rebuilt his home, on his own. His love of labor and capable hands provided him with the ability to wire, plumb, and execute the finish work, including two spiral staircases, interior and exterior, decks, and other unique choices that have to be seen to be fully appreciated! This house, situated between two streams down a demanding hill with a view of Camels’ Hump, sings of his visions and his love of an unconventional lifestyle.

He managed to live fully and at the edge, all at the same time. Stuart touched people from all walks of life. He loved being able to live in three places at once. His community at Taos Ski Valley; the love of his daughter, son-in-law, three grandchildren and their spouses; three great grandsons; and his good friends and family, all over this country, brought Stuart great joy. Stuart is forever loved and will be missed by all who knew him.

Stuart is survived by his daughter, Stacey Lee Dobek; her husband, Jack Dobek (Lincoln, Vt.); his three grandchildren, Cassidy Tucker Dobek (Portland, Ore.), Mesa Leila Kewish (Los Angeles, Calif.), and Kai Jackson Dobek, (their respective partners, Paul Fletcher, Blake Kewish, and Grace Widelitz); his three great-grandsons, Truro Dobek Fletcher, Ronin Murphy Fletcher, and Jack Dean Kewish; and his nephew, Stephen Cook, and Stephen’s two sons, Danny and Brendan Cook. He is pre-deceased by his sister, Rosemary Cook.

Stuart Murphys’ remains will be taken to the family cemetery in Clarksville, N.H., across the Connecticut River from the Perry Homestead in Cannan, Vt.

Two Celebrations of Life will be held for Stuart Perry Murphy: Tuesday, March 17, at Taos Ski Valley, Taos, N.M. at 4:45 p.m. (4 p.m. ski-down followed by tribute at 4:45 p.m. in the Lake Fork Room); and Sunday, June 28, from 2-6 p.m. in Waterbury Center, Vt., at the Waterbury Center Grange Hall.

Donations in his name may be made to the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired at vabvi.org or the American Macular Degeneration Fund at macular.org.

There will be an opportunity to contribute to a tribute book in-person or should you feel inspired to create an entry we welcome photos, stories, or sacred words to send to Stacey Dobek: 484 Mill Rd., Lincoln, Vt 05443 or [email protected]. ◊