Harry Robert "Bob" Purkey

1934 - 2018

Harry Robert "Bob" Purkey

Virginia Beach - It is with great sadness that the children of Harry Robert "Bob" Purkey announce that their father passed away on February 16, 2018. Bob was born on July 13, 1934 in Parsons, West Virginia. He had a rough childhood but was blessed with a loving sister Nancy and a devoted grandmother. He moved to Norfolk, Va. and graduated from Maury High School. While in high school Bob met his future wife, Sonja Firing Purkey, who attended rival Granby High. After graduation Bob attended the Norfolk Division of William and Mary. He could not afford to go to college full time so he worked at Continental Grain Company while attending night school for 8 years to earn his college degree. By then W&M-Norfolk Division had become Old Dominion University. Bob was a proud ODU graduate. He also proudly served in the Army Reserves.

Bob and Sonja married and had 3 children: Harry, Jr., Charlotte and Greg. In the late 1960's Bob was offered a job with (then) Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith. Bob worked for Merrill Lynch for over 5 decades until his illness led to his retirement in 2015.

The Purkey family moved to Virginia Beach in 1970 where Bob became involved in numerous community and civic organizations. In 1985 he ran for the House of Delegates for the 82nd House District. He won and served in the state legislature until his retirement in 2014. He served on various committees during his 28 years of service, including serving as Chairman of the House Finance Committee.

Bob also served the community through various boards and foundations, including the Tidewater Automobile Association, the Virginia Aquarium, and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.

Bob was a high school athlete in several sports. His love of sports and community combined when he served as a recreational league coach for football and basketball for many years. If it was a Saturday in the 1970's our dad was with "Snag" Nesbit and George Parr coaching football, or with Bill Emerson coaching basketball. Years later when our dad would run into his former players he'd get real pleasure in seeing how they had matured, and in meeting their own families. Our dad was a fine role model for many children in our community. (Go Surfers! Go Seagulls!)

Many people knew our father through business or politics. But we want to share some of the things that made him a funny, sweet dad/husband/friend. Our dad loved war movies. He could flawlessly whistle the theme from the movie "The Bridge over the River Kwai." He loved to cook. He made gigantic pots of stew on weekends, fudge on cold winter nights, and fabulous ribs all summer. His Thanksgiving dinners were legendary. We had fun weekends with family at Sandbridge, starting in the mid-1960's - when there was no city water, no phones, few houses, but lots of adventures. Our father taught us how to fish; our summer evenings were often at the beach surfcasting or on the back pier with a cane pole, a bobber and bloodworms. He taught us how to mark a trail in a forest; how to make the perfect whole hog BBQ; how to start a roaring fire in the fireplace. He loved napping with our dogs on the couch on Sunday afternoons. He loved golf and his golfing buddies. My parents had a close group of friends with whom they had raucous New Year's Eve parties. We thank the Cunninghams, the Brantleys, the Fosters, the McCormicks, the Gaskins, the Stevensons, the Harps, and the Forrests for their love and friendship with our parents for decades.

Our dad was addicted to Diet Cokes and Plaza Bakery brownies. He sung crazy ad-lib songs to us all the time. He loved HUBS peanuts. He could identify crops, animal tracks, clouds. He loved rocks and geology, and brought home a rock from most every place he traveled.

Every December he'd save a day for a special father-daughter Christmas shopping trip, a tradition that continued for over 40 years.

We only saw our father truly angry, truly afraid once - which led to the infamous "Sandbridge spanking" delivered to Harry and Greg. (You'll have to ask them what they did to deserve it!)

He loved to have a gin and tonic while sitting on the pier with our mom at sunset.

More than anything our father loved his family. He joins his beloved wife- our mom- in heaven. He was predeceased by his sister Nancy Purkey Hermit, his niece Thea Hermit Wilson and nephew Bruce Hermit, as well as our mother's parents and her brother Fritz Firing, Jr. He is survived by his brother-in-law Richard Hermit and nephew Randy Hermit, and sister-in-law Mary Firing and her children Susan Stroehm, Fritz Firing, III, and Eric Firing. He is also survived by his children Harry R. Purkey, Jr. and his wife Nancy Virginia Purkey, Charlotte Helene Purkey and her husband Barry Dorans, and Jon Gregory Purkey and his wife Monica Celmer Purkey. Finally, he is survived by his granddaughters Nina and Charlotte. He was so proud of them, and they should know he will love them forever. They were his greatest joy.

During the last several years Bob suffered the effects from several strokes. It was hard to watch the decline of someone so full of life. Please remember our dad's smile, his big laugh, his generous spirit, his warmth, his sense of humor, and his compassion.

In light of our father's charitable spirit and in lieu of flowers, please honor him by making a donation to either the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia or to the Virginia Beach SPCA.

The family will receive visitors on Thursday, February 22, 2018 at Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home, Great Neck Chapel, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The funeral service will be held at that location on Friday February 23, 2018 at 1 p.m. Burial thereafter will be private for family only. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.hollomon-brown.com

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