trinity episcopal- part two
Last week I shared how my brother and I attended the funeral service of my cousin Bernie’s wife. The service was held at the Trinity Episcopal Church in St. Mary’s County, MD.
Buried in this church cemetery is Bernie’s dad, Murvin. His tombstone is pictured here. Murvin was the son of my dad’s brother, Alfred Murvin Purdy, Sr. Uncle Murvin was born in 1907, 14 years before my dad. Murvin Jr. was born in 1930, 9 years after my father was born. Because of the age difference between my dad and my uncle, dad always said that he was closer to Murvin Jr. than he was to his brother. Since Uncle Murvin died when I was two, I don’t remember him at all. But I remember Murvin, Jr. well.
Murvin Jr. was a carpenter by trade. I remember as a kid, watching “Cousin Murvin” refinishing our basement. He took an old garage and turned it into a nice family room. It was amazing to me what the man could do with a hammer and nails. Even as a teenager I could sense the skill that the man had. The kind of skill that only comes from years of experience.
While walking back to the church from Murvin’s grave, his granddaughter mentioned how the Purdys need to have a family reunion. We do indeed. Especially since I barely know some of these people who share my surname.
What I learned from this experience is that these people are worth knowing. Not only are they talented, gifted, interesting people, but we share the Purdy sense of humor, as well as the oversized Purdy ears!
My brother and I have often talked about a Purdy family reunion. A gathering of the Richmond Purdys, and the St. Mary’s Purdys, and the Shenandoah Purdys. Everyone agrees we should do this. But life gets in the way. We get caught up in our daily lives and forget all about it until someone dies and we gather for their funeral.
It has been suggested that the “Alexandria Purdys” (That would be me) are centrally located to the rest of the family and therefore would be the most logical choice to host said reunion. (Ah…right) Perhaps this time next year, when a new church has been erected on Telegraph Road, we can host a family gathering in our new fellowship hall. Oh, if only Murvin was here to help build it!
