Thirteen days shy of his 86th birthday, Neil Murphy died of cancer on August 12. The fourth-generation candymaker known for his bolitas, brittles and pecan Tortugas ran candy operations in Atlanta and Albuquerque, eventually settling in Santa Fe and purchasing the Santa Fe Candy Kitchen in 1972. Murphy changed the name of the business to Senor Murphy and focused on selling quality, premium candies, most of them his own creations. He was instrumental in lobbying for the “little liquor bill” in New Mexico, which allowed Murphy to produce bourbon whiskey-flavored cream candies. In 2001, Murphy sold his business to Rand Levitt, who kept all of the candymaker’s recipes.