Lynn Murrell Purdy, 78, of rural Macomb, Illinois, passed away at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, December 5, 2021 at Wesley Village Healthcare in Macomb.

 

He was born August 13, 1943, in LaHarpe, the son of Lewis Murell and Vernus Darlene (Harding) Purdy. He married Donna Barry and together had four children, Timothy (Theresa) Purdy of LaHarpe, Denise Chase of rural Stronghurst, Debbie (Sean) Blue of rural Spartanburg, SC, and Angela Purdy of Burlington, Iowa. They later divorced. On July 4, 1998 he married Connie Newman in an outdoor wedding in Carthage. He added two step-daughters to that union, Amy (Bob) Gound of rural Warsaw and Abby (Karl) Ruebush of rural Macomb. Together they have six grandchildren, Riley Blue of Spartanburg, SC, Jackson Chase of rural Stronghurst, Carson Purdy of rural LaHarpe, Jenna and Jordan Gound of rural Warsaw, and Kade Ruebush of rural Macomb. He is survived by one sister, Aldena (Rod) Everhart of Keller, Texas.

 

He was preceded in death by his parents.

 

He farmed 50 years in McDonough and Hancock Counties. Beside his love of farming, he enjoyed driving a school bus for 13 years for the LaHarpe School District, writing and recording poems for students as they boarded the bus. He served four years on the LaHarpe School Board with part of his term as president. He was a previous member of the Prairieland Barbershop. He served six years in the Army Reserves. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Carthage where he sang in the choir, served on various committees, and started the sweet corn project for missions, utilizing proceeds for needed community projects. The project continues today. He worked at McDonough Power Cooperative for 10 years where he participated in the “Coats for Kids” project.

 

The funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, December 9, 2021 at the First United Methodist Church in Carthage, Illinois. Burial will follow in the LaHarpe Cemetery. 

 

Friends may call after 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 8th at Banks & Beals Funeral Home in LaHarpe, where the family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. 

 

Memorials may be made to Wesley Village for a bench in the Wesley garden as Lynn and Connie spent many hours there enjoying the garden and walking trails. A memorial has also been established for the McDonough County Cooperative “Coats for Kids” Program. To leave a condolence for the family, please visit Lynn’s obituary at banksandbeals.com