William J Purdy

Bill was born on March 26th, 1934, in Swartz Creek, Michigan to Joe and Olive Purdy. He was married 55 years to Betty, his loving wife and caregiver.

Bill graduated from Adrian High School in Adrian, Missouri, where he and his family raised Herford cattle on their family farm. After high school, he attended The Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While at The Spartan School, he earned a mechanic's certificate as well as a private pilot's license. He later enlisted in the US Air Force and was stationed at Mac Dill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, where he met and married Betty.

After Bill's service in the Air Force, he went on to a distinguished career with the Federal Aviation Administration. Rising through the ranks from air traffic controller to data systems specialist, he was a key contributor to the development, deployment, and integration of the FAA's National Airspace System (NAS), which replaced aging systems and processes with modern equipment and procedures. Bill's experience and knowledge, combined with his natural ability to train others on the new systems, were critical to the success of the program. Retiring after more than 30 years of service with the FAA, he continued his service to the FAA through IBM, Loral, and Lockheed-Martin in support of NAS. Even now, millions of travelers traveling to, from, or within the United States each day continue to benefit from the valuable knowledge and experience Bill brought to this project.

During his career, Bill & Betty lived and travelled across the US - from Kansas, to Texas, to Florida, then Maryland. The majority of their time was spent in Florida, where they were long-time residents of Pembroke Pines. While there, Bill was an active member of Pembroke Road Baptist Church, and held leadership positions as a church deacon and as the president of Pembroke Christian Academy's Parent-Teacher Fellowship.

After his second retirement, he and Betty spent time at their homes in Englewood, Florida and Blue Ridge, Georgia. He was a member of The First Baptist Church in both cities. Bill was an avid model railroader and train enthusiast, and also served as a Conductor and car-host on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway in Blue Ridge, Georgia. He and Betty continued travelling after retirement, taking advantage of the available time to enjoy cruises ranging from The Panama Canal to the glaciers of Alaska. And of course, Bill was a devoted fan of all things Disney, and made several trips a year to his beloved Walt Disney World.

Bill was a devoted and loving father to Paul (Nancy), Glenn (Patti), and Donald; a grandfather to Braden, Dalton (Alex), Erin, Mariah, Johnathon, Carson, and Christian. He was a dedicated older brother to Virginia (Ted) Zellmer, and Dorothy (David) Norman. He was blessed to have many good friends that were part of his life.