Richard "Ricky" L. Murphy

Richard L. "Ricky" Murphy, Dover, passed away suddenly on Friday, August 22, 2025 at his home, he was 65.  Ricky was born in Milford, DE to the late, Sarah L. and Lewis C. Murphy Sr.

Ricky worked with horses all of his life.  From the time he got up in the morning till the time he went to sleep, it was all about horses.  From the age of 16, Ricky owned, trained, and drove race horses.  Throughout his entire career, Ricky accumulated over 1000 wins; 886 as a driver, and 117 as a trainer.  Ricky was indeed gifted, oftentimes taking on the "outlaws" the unruly horses that no one else would take.  In a way, you could have called him a horse whisperer because he could turn those horses into winners.  Many fellow horsemen would characterize Ricky as a great horseman with great hands and a great driver.  Ricky worked for and trained for numerous stables over the years, currently for the Sean Bier Stable.  If you could not find Ricky tending to the horses, you could always find him tinkering in his barn or playing around on a tractor or skid loader.

Ricky was well known for his ornery ways, referred to as the "character of the game".  He loved to aggravate, joke around, and was always up to no good.  He was fun to be around, and Ricky did everything with a smile on his face.  He never said no to anyone in need especially if it was for race horses or even show horses, he freely gave of his time and expertise.  He had a love for the Amish community and supported them every chance he got, and the Amish community loved his back.  He especially loved his wife Benny, and always had her back no matter what.  She describes him as a hell of a husband, just days before he passed, he surprised Benny with some fresh steamed crabs, that she had been wanting, and invited everyone over to have a feast.  His presence, love of the horse racing industry, and ornery ways will be greatly missed by all that knew him and remembered as a true authentic horseman.

Ricky was a member of the Delaware Standardbred Owners Association, and the United States Trotting Association.

Ricky is survived by his loving wife, Benalee "Benny" Murphy; son, Richard Slater; siblings, Beverly Hollinger, Wanda Roe, Luann Marsh, Linda Jaggers, Lewis C. Murphy Jr., John Murphy, Robert Murphy, Roland Murphy, numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and close friends.

A Celebration of Ricky's Life Service will take place on Friday, August 29, 2025, at the Thomas E. Melvin & Son Funeral Home, 15522 S. DuPont Hwy, Harrington, DE, at 1 PM, with a visitation starting at 11 AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made directly to the funeral home to offset expenses, or to  Horse Lovers United, at Breeze3684@outlook.com or call/text: 667-271-4126

Arrangements are entrusted to the Thomas E. Melvin & Son Funeral Home, please visit us at www.melvinfuneralhome.com to express or send condolences.