Joseph William “Bill” Purman Jr.

Joseph William "Bill" Purman was born in Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan on 2 April 1922. He was the son of Clara (Bachers) and Joseph William Purman, Sr. As a child, Bill moved with his family to So. Bend, St. Joseph Co., Ind. Bill was active in the Boy Scouts and stayed active through Eagle Scout. He received an Eagle Scout scholarship in 1940 and was able to attend Purdue University in Ind. Bill studied mechanical engineering and joined the ROTC.

Because of WWII, Bill was put on an accelerated program and he received his B.S. and was commissioned a Lieutenant in 1943. He served in the South pacific for 2 years.

Before Bill left for the Pacific he married Betty A. Murphy on 15 April 1944. After he returned from the War, Bill & Betty resided for a short time in Ft. Wayne, Ind, then moved to Milwaukee, Wisc. in 1952, where they remained. The couple had 5 children; Lee Anne, Mary Margaret(Peggy), Carolyn(Bambo), Joseph & Robert(Bob).

In Milwaukee, Bill worked for Louis Allis Co. as a designer of large induction motors, 12 of which he held the patents. His hobbies were golf, watercolor painting & riding bikes with his wife Betty.

Bill Purman died in Milwaukee on 26 May 2012 after a 2 year battle with Lymphoma. His body was donated to medical research.

Sources: Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com, and FindAGrave.com

10/16/2023 EJS

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/111980458/joseph-william-purman