David Lee Purifoy, Jr.

David Lee Purifoy Jr., 74, died after a long illness on October 13, 2021, at CarolinaEast Medical Center.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 23rd, at 11 am at Bryant Funeral Home & Crematory, Alliance, NC. Visitation will precede the memorial service beginning at 10:30 am. The Reverend Richard L. Bryant will officiate.

David was born February 26, 1947, in New Bern, North Carolina, to Elsie Cowell Lane Purifoy and David Lee Purifoy Sr. As a young man he joined the United States Navy and was assigned to the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt where he served as a Search and Rescue Jumper. David was proud of his “jump wings'' and wore them to many military functions. He also earned his “shellback” (crossing the equator) multiple times and was an Airdale for the A1 intruders. He faced many dangerous situations including a paint locker fire and more than one search and rescue mission where he saved fellow sailors’ lives.

When David came home to New Bern, he took an entry-level job with Weyerhaeuser planting trees. He volunteered to cruise timber one day during a shortage of employees and the rest, as they say, is history. He eventually took out a loan and invested in a partnership to start a new company, Superior Land and Timber. After a long career with Superior, he retired to be able to spend more time on his hobbies and with his family.

David was an avid waterfowl hunter, fisherman, wildlife conservationist, Ducks Unlimited sponsor, and spent 40 plus years in amateur radio with multiple AARL awards. He was also extremely active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization acting as Commander of VFW Post 2514 Dixon Conderman for two separate terms and was also a lifelong member of the Military Order of the Cooties.

David was hilarious to family and friends and always had a snappy comeback ready. He was a simple man who loved nothing more than being out on the water or in the forests of Eastern North Carolina, which he called the most beautiful place on earth. Now, David is at rest, and we hold him close within us.

Aside from his parents, David was preceded in death by his loving and dedicated wife, Meritha Dowdle Purifoy; daughters, Susan Purifoy McNeely and Jamie Lee Purifoy; as well as stepsons, David Dowdle, and Joe Dowdle.

David is survived by daughter, Mary Bryant (Richard); son, John Purifoy (Mary); daughter, Kristin Purifoy (Kris); son in law, Jonathan Van Apeldoorn; stepson, Tony Dowdle (Virgie); sister, Ellen Bousman; sister, Emily Purifoy Polanik (Joe); brother, James Purifoy; sister, Lisa Purifoy Hines (Jim); grandchildren, Amber, Chip, Donnie, Jordan, Caroline, Kenzie, Avery, Shannon, Kim, Kristina, Alesia, and Tonya; great-grandchildren, Gabriel, Lilly, Bethany, Kinsley, Cameron, Clark, Kyndall, Olivia, Garrett, Alistrah, Brooke and Rayna.

Expressions of sympathy may be made in whichever way(s) you wish, including flowers, cards, and memorial donations to a favorite charity. One of David’s favorite charities was the VFW Post 2514, 3850 Butler Rd., New Bern NC 28560.