Mitchell Brinkley Puryear

Mitchell Brinkley Puryear, 72, of Raleigh, North Carolina, passed away peacefully at his Raleigh home on October 27, 2026. He was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on September 4, 1954, and raised in Raleigh, NC.

Mitchell was a three-time graduate of North Carolina State University with degrees in business and education. He was a lifelong learner and took great pride in the education he received at NCSU. After a long and successful career in commercial construction, he retired from Choate Construction in 2022. Mitchell was a talented guitar player (including air guitar) and an accomplished woodworker, building beautiful furniture for his family. He was passionate about music and watching his Wolfpack play football and basketball. Above all, he was known for the love and devotion he had for his family.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Harvey Carmen Puryear and Elizabeth Riggs Puryear, his siblings, Pamela Puryear, Nick Puryear, and Jacqueline Rose, and his parents-in-law, Johnny Askew Byrd and Kay Clifton Byrd.

Mitchell is survived by his wife of 48 years, Sonja Byrd Puryear, his two daughters, Amanda Puryear Anderson and husband Daniel of Raleigh, NC, and Laura Frances Puryear of Denver, CO, his granddaughter Isabella Kay Anderson, his nieces, Jennifer Mercer and Kathleen Rodberg, his sister-in-law Moira Breen, and his dog (that he swore was NOT his dog), Brinkley.

The family wishes to thank his caregivers, Jade Heggins and Ashley Cohen, for the care, attention, and love they provided Mitchell and the Puryear family over the last year. They have become family and Mitchell loved them dearly.

Services will be held at Hudson Memorial Presbyterian church at 4921 Six Forks Road in Raleigh on Thursday, November 19 at 2:00 in the afternoon.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or Fellowship Hall in Greensboro, NC.