Dr. P.C. Purvis, 92, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away on April 20, 2012, surrounded by his loving family. He will be missed by all who knew him, especially those in his hometown of Fairmont, North Carolina and most recently at Magnolia Glen in Raleigh, North Carolina. A descendent of four generations of hard-working farmers in Robeson County, Dr. Purvis was born January 9, 1920 in Proctorville, North Carolina to Ferish F. Purvis and Bessie Henley Purvis. The family moved to Fairmont where Dr. Purvis and his brother, Garran Durwood Purvis, now deceased, were raised.

Dr. Purvis was a retired dentist, practicing in Fairmont, NC for more than fifty years. He did his pre-dental studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received his D.D.S from Atlanta Southern Dental College (later Emory University) in Atlanta, Georgia. While in Atlanta, he met the love of his life, Peggy Haynie, of Decatur, Ga., and they married in 1944. He was a member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honor Society. Before entering the armed services, he served on the faculty of the dental school. Dr. Purvis was a veteran of World War II and was recalled into active duty in the Korean War where he was attached to the Second Marine Division at Camp Lejeune in the Dental Corps. Earning the rank of Commander in the U.S. Naval Dental Corps, he remained an active member of the Naval Dental Reserves for twenty-six years.

During his private practice of dentistry in Fairmont, he was active in the leadership of the North Carolina State Dental Society, serving as president of the Fourth District and vice-president of the North Carolina State Dental Society in 1976-1977. He served on the Ethics, Bylaws, and Judicial Committees. In 1978, Dr. Purvis was selected as a Fellow in the American College of Dentists and in 1979 a Fellow in the International College of Dentists. He was a life member of the North Carolina Dental Society, the American Dental Association, the Southern Academy of Oral Surgery, the Pierre Fauchard Academy of Dentistry, and the UNC- Chapel Hill Alumni Association.

After practicing dentistry for several years in Fairmont, he saw the need for bringing orthodontics to Robeson County. In 1952 he attended the Dover School of Orthodontics in New York and added orthodontics to his practice for the next twenty years.

His community service included being a member of the Fairmont Rotary Club for twenty-eight years and a trustee of the Fairmont City Schools for ten years. He served on the Campbell University Board of Trustees for more than thirty-two years, serving on the Education and Investment Committees and receiving the honor of Life Trustee. He and his wife, Peggy, had a long-term vision for the beautification of the campus at Campbell University and established the Purvis Gardens, now a campus landmark. He and his wife, Peggy, created a living Endowment Scholarship in 1982 to benefit students attending Campbell from Robeson County.

He was active in the First Baptist Church in Fairmont, serving as a Deacon for forty years, chairman of the Board of Deacons, Sunday School Director, and Director of the Adult II Department for fifteen years. Dr. Purvis also was a Mason for fifty six years, having completed the 32nd degree of the Scottish Rite and was a member of the Fairmont Shrine Club.
After he retired, Dr. Purvis continued his interest in higher education, landscaping, gardening, dentistry, his former patients, watching the Tar Heels, and enjoying his beach home. He provided leadership in the medical and health services for South Robeson, serving as president of the South Robeson Medical Scholarship Fund and director of the South Robeson Medical Development Corporation. His greatest pleasure in retirement was traveling and enjoying events in his children and grandchildren??s lives. He instilled in them many moral and leadership values that they will always carry with them.

He is pre-deceased by his parents and his brother, Garran. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Peggy Haynie Purvis, a native of Decatur, Georgia and his children- Judith Purvis Williams, Thomas Haynie Purvis and wife, Sable Skeens Purvis, and Blair Henley Purvis, and wife, Janet Bender Purvis. He is also survived by grandchildren Hunter Williams and wife Sallie, Emily Williams King and husband, Scott, James Thomas Purvis, and Kelly Purvis Edwards and husband, Jamie. Dr. Purvis also is survived by great-grandchildren Walker McMillan Williams, Sarah Grayson Williams, Finley Addison King, Ethan Thomas Edwards, Cameron James Edwards, and Hannah Elizabeth Edwards.

The family would like to thank Dr. John Sinden and the staff at Raleigh Cardiology and Associates, the staff at Wake Med Heart Center, and the staff of Wellcare Home Health for their compassionate care for Dr. P.C.

A Memorial Service on Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 3:00PM, which will be a celebration of his life will be held at the First Baptist Church in Fairmont, NC 28340. The family will receive friends in their home at 901 Dogwood Drive, Fairmont on Saturday, April 21, from 4:00-6:00PM. Visitation will also be held after the Memorial Service in the sanctuary of the church.

Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to the Peggy and P.C. Purvis Scholarship at Campbell University or to the First Baptist Church in Fairmont.