Don Carlos Purcell (1898 - 1985)

Born 27 Feb 1898 in Missouri Valley, Iowa, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Helen Jessie (Cox) Purcell — married 18 Mar 1920 (to 1980) in Woodbine, Iowa

Descendants

Died 1985 at about age 86 in Oak Park, Cook, Illinois, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Judy Young [send private message]

Biography

Mr. Don Purcell served for the United States of America in World War I
Service started:
Unit(s):
Service ended:

Don was born in 1898. His mother died when he was five years old and his sister Olive was his second mother. He didn't get along well with his stepmother. He completed school only through 8th grade as he experienced problems with his heart at that time and the doctor told his father that they should keep him at home as he would not be with them much longer. He always had an interest in history and regretted not going on in school. His father-in-law teased him for spending a Sunday afternoon in the cemetery viewing the graves and studying the gravestones, "Hell Don, I'll spend plenty of time there after I'm dead." I see this as mourning his mother and an interest in history and genealogy. He was shy and perhaps depressed at times. My Dad said he could go for days without talking and he would wonder when he came home from school if Dad would talk today. His wife was the social friendly one and she always had sympathy for him. He served in World War I and was stationed in Hawaii, a place he considered going back to visit because he liked it so much, but travel was not so easy in those days. In Missouri Valley he worked for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad as a painter. He had a steady hand and other painters would ask him to install the gold-leaf decals on the boxcars as he never messed them up. As a Railroad Union member he voted for Robert LaFollette in 1924, otherwise he was a lifelong Democrat. In 1939 to keep his railroad job he transferred to Chicago and moved the whole family there. This was a big change for the family, good for the children as far as more job opportunities, but hard for my grandparents who were close to all their immediate Iowa relatives. They were members of the RLDS church in Iowa, but were not close enough to attend that church in Illinois (the nearest church was probably in Plano) His 3 children and their families spent many Sunday afternoons as well as one weeknight visiting them. Many happy times with singing, laughing and teasing. It was hard on the daughters-in-law to spend so much free time there, but the sons were back home as soon as they walked in the door. The grandchildren enjoyed it completely, at least as we were younger. Grandpa was the more dangerous one, if we misbehaved he would lay down the law, but Granny was always forgiving. He passed away in 1985. ^[1]

This profile is a collaborative work-in-progress. Can you contribute information or sources?

Sources

1. ↑ First-hand information as remembered by Judy Young, Friday, October 17, 2014. Replace this citation if there is another source.

See also:

• Add sources here.