Stephen Ronald Purvis

Born: May 19, 1947

Died: October 24, 2021

Stephen Ronald Purvis died peacefully at home on October 24, 2021. Stephen was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1947, to mother, Juanita (Purvis) Jones and father, Calvin Purvis. He attended Lake Shore High School before serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. Stephen attended Georgia State University, worked for Lockheed Corporation then transferred to California while working for Lockheed. In California, Stephen met and married the love of his life and wife of 50+ years, Peggy Eldredge Purvis.

Stephen joined Bechtel Corporation in Los Angeles where he met his lifelong friend, Kim Douglas. The two enjoyed pranking their fellow employees with fun-loving mischief. Fun, mischief, and good friendship continued throughout Stephen’s lifetime.

While at Bechtel, Stephen transferred to San Francisco where he furthered his education. His academic accomplishments include an A.A. in Business Administration, Accounting from Cerritos Community College and a B.S. in Finance from University of San Francisco.

Stephen moved to Seattle where he worked for Eddie Bauer. While living in the northwest, Stephen learned to ski and became the father of his two children, Brian and Erin Purvis. Stephen earned his M.B.A. from Puget Sound.

Stephen moved back to the Bay Area with his young family in 1984 where he worked for Data Design as a computer programmer and sales representative. While living in the Bay Area, Stephen obtained his pilot’s license, taking the test with his two young children in the back seat, an experience the author (Erin) of this writing remembers with some fear and much fondness.

Stephen enjoyed summer vacations to Hawaii with his family where he loved to see the Hawaiian volcano of Mauna Loa, going to a Luau, and visiting the many beautiful sites of the various islands.

One fond memory after Stephen earned his pilot’s license was when on the way home from Idaho, he landed his plane in Reno and upon taking off back to the Bay Area, Stephen seriously asked his untrained copilot, wife Peggy, if we were going to clear the mountains, to which his copilot laughed hysterically.

With a career change in mind and motivated by the pain of his own back injury, Stephen attended Palmer College of Chiropractic. Stephen graduated with his Doctor of Chiropractic in 1994, when he and his family moved to Fair Oaks, CA, where Stephen was a Chiropractor until he retired in 2006. In his retirement, he continued his education with Music, Mathematics, and Art History studies at American River College. Stephen considered himself a “perpetual student”.

Stephen enjoyed his retirement by spending time with his family and dogs, telling stories of the past, enjoying television shows, going to movies, playing games, attending community college, and keeping in touch with family and friends via social media.

Stephen is survived by his wife, Peggy Eldredge Purvis, his son, Brian, his daughter, Erin, his brother, Carl Purvis, Carl’s wife Patricia and their children, Lee and Danielle, his sister, Carole Gavalyas, and eight family dogs: Brody, Buddy, Charlie, Dodge, Frederick, Kendall, Little Fox, and Rubio. And now, Stephen has joined his favorite dog, Tyson.

Stephen is remembered for his loving nature, dedication to his family, storytelling, and his sense of humor. He listed his favorite quote on social media as “death is nature’s way of saying “Slow Down!” by Robin Williams.

Stephen lived a life full of love, laughter, and intellectual pursuits. He was a good man with a good heart and is deeply missed by all who loved him.