Father William (“Rab”) Murphy had his own unique version
of the classic Murphy’s Law: "If you are driving along a Tanzanian road and
suddenly come upon a sheep in the middle of the road — which ever way you
swerve, the sheep is certain to jump right into the path of your oncoming
truck." Looking at the unpredictable African reality another Maryknoller added
O’Leary’s Corollary: "Murphy was an optimist."

    When Rab drove from Issenye Parish into Musoma Town he
tried to leave very early so as not to be besieged for rides. One morning he
firmly decided not to take any passengers in the back of his pick-up truck.
After starting off he spotted a small group of people standing by the road
waving for a ride. Further down the road he saw a policeman friend of his
standing alone under a tree and also gesturing for a lift. So Rab cleverly
decided to speed past the small group of people, stop suddenly by the policeman
and then only give him a ride. This worked perfectly except that four boys were
hiding in the tree. When Rab stopped to pick up the policeman, the boys jumped
into the back of the truck.

    One day Rab and some Tanzanians were driving into Musoma
in his famed jeep van called the "Silver Streak." The engine was misfiring. He
stopped to investigate. When he lifted the hood they saw a snake curled up on
top of the battery. As one of the Tanzanians turned to look for a stick, Rab
reached in. With a quick continuous motion the grabbed the snake and hurled it
out. The passengers told him that he shouldn’t have done this because the priest
could have been bitten and poisoned. Rab said: "You have to have faith. After
all, it’s written right in the Bible: “They will pick up snakes in their hands
and it will not hurt them."

    Rab claimed that in all his years in Africa he never got
malaria. It was always "a mild case of the flu." One memorable moment was his
wake in the chapel at the Maryknoll Language School in Makoko. Many Maryknollers,
Tanzanian priests and sisters and other friends of Rab sat around telling
stories about this beloved missionary. Many comments were personal tributes to
Rab Murphy and expressions of gratitude and appreciation for his presence and
help in people’s lives. Those present recalled human interest anecdotes,
humorous tales and examples of Rab’s homespun philosophy. The stories and
memories flowed naturally and spontaneously. The warm, personable, lovable and
generous missionary clearly shone through. It was a genuine African wake of
celebration.