1946-2013 STARKS - James Francis Murphy, age 67, passed away in an automobile accident in Fairfield on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2013. Born in Attleboro, Mass., on May 7, 1946, he was the son of the late Francis L. Murphy and Rita J. (Sarazin) Murphy. Jim graduated from Coyle High School in Taunton, Mass., and in 1969, he received his degree in chemistry from Northeastern University in Boston. Following his degree, Jim worked until 1988 at New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston as a biochemist. In 1990, Jim moved to Maine and was employed in the lab at Franklin Community Hospital in Farmington. In 1988, Jim served as a Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association apprentice at Darthia Farm in Gouldsboro. In 1990, Jim purchased an old dairy farm in Starks and pursued his love of the outdoors and agriculture. Jim was a member of Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, Cooperative Maine, FEDCO, Transition Skowhegan, Sustain Mid Maine and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Jim expressed his love for the community of Starks with his involvement. He was secretary of the Appeals Board and the Historical Society, as well as being co-editor and a writer for The Voice of Starks, the town paper. He was instrumental in founding the Starks Community Garden and Starks Farm Hands, an organization which helped to connect farmers and workers. Jim was voted Starks Citizen of the Year in 2012. Jim was interested in all facets of life - people, languages, travel and especially Greece, where he lived and taught for many months while attending the University in Salonica. He was an avid hiker and climbed most of the 60-odd peaks in the White Mountains. He could always be counted on to attend any and all family gatherings. Jim is survived by his beloved family of six brothers: David R. Murphy and his wife, Christine, of North Attleboro, Mass., Daniel L. Murphy and his wife, Diane, of Tualatin, Ore., Joel M. Murphy and his wife, Janet, of Pasadena, Calif., Charles T. Murphy and his wife, Denise, of Norton, Mass., Timothy J. Murphy and his wife, Roxann, of Pawtucket, R.I, and Raymond F. Murphy and his fiancée, Mary Ann DiIorio, of Lincoln, R.I.; and by his three sisters: Jean Ann Ladabauche of North Attleboro, Mass., Lynn E. Vartanian and her husband, Robert, of Woonsocket, R.I., and Susan J. Kosowski and her husband, Thomas, of Pawtucket, R.I. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. The town of Starks will be holding a celebration of Jim's life at the Starks Community Center, 57 Anson Road, on Saturday, Dec. 7 at noon. An online guestbook may be signed and memories shared at www.lawrybrothers.com.