Obituary for Ralph Eldon Purdy
Ralph Eldon Purdy, 93, of Indianapolis, Indiana passed away Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis. He was born November 25, 1926 to Arnet G. Purdy and Ida May (Dickey) Purdy in Morocco, Indiana. He was known as Eldon to his family.
Eldon graduated from Morocco High School at the age of 17 after working various jobs starting at age 14. Upon graduating high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army during WWII. He served as a radio operator in the Pacific with the 43rd Infantry Division and the 99th Field Artillery Battalion, and in Germany with the 3rd Constabulary Brigade.
After the Army, Eldon attended Indiana University in Bloomington and the American Institute of Television in Chicago. He started his career at the Western Electric Indianapolis plant where he advanced up to Senior Design Engineer, retiring in 1985 after 34 years of service. His first year of retirement was spent in Singapore as a consulting engineer to open the Western Electric plant there.
Eldon married Beverly Shields on September 1, 1951 in Economy, Indiana. Together they raised four children. Ralph was active in Boy Scouts for his two sons, as well as volunteering help for his two daughters’ Girl Scouts programs. He was a member of the American Legion and was affiliated with the Lawrence United Methodist Church.
During retirement, he purchased land near his hometown of Morocco, part of which has been held by the Purdy family since 1906. He enjoyed his retirement working his land and spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren.
Eldon is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Beverly Purdy of Indianapolis; four children: Ellen (Dale) Eisman of Hampstead, North Carolina, Edward (Margo) Purdy of Brownsburg, Indiana, Elaine Purdy of Zionsville, Indiana and Jason (April) Purdy of Indianapolis; one brother, Delbert Purdy of Illinois; six grandchildren: Mariah Eisman, Tom (Julia) Eisman, William Purdy, Miranda Adams, Cathryn Purdy and Kyle Purdy; and one great-granddaughter, Aria Eisman, who has a baby brother on the way.
He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers and seven sisters.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, private family services will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 with Rev. Wayne Williams officiating. Burial with military honors will follow at Oakland Cemetery in Morocco. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the American Heart Association, the Newton County Food Pantry, or the charity of your choice.
The service will be recorded and uploaded to our website following the service.
To view the service on mobile devices, scroll down below the obituary and click “Watch Webcast”.
To view the service on a desktop computer, click “Photos & Videos” above the obituary. Scroll down and click “Watch Webcast”.
Eldon graduated from Morocco High School at the age of 17 after working various jobs starting at age 14. Upon graduating high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army during WWII. He served as a radio operator in the Pacific with the 43rd Infantry Division and the 99th Field Artillery Battalion, and in Germany with the 3rd Constabulary Brigade.
After the Army, Eldon attended Indiana University in Bloomington and the American Institute of Television in Chicago. He started his career at the Western Electric Indianapolis plant where he advanced up to Senior Design Engineer, retiring in 1985 after 34 years of service. His first year of retirement was spent in Singapore as a consulting engineer to open the Western Electric plant there.
Eldon married Beverly Shields on September 1, 1951 in Economy, Indiana. Together they raised four children. Ralph was active in Boy Scouts for his two sons, as well as volunteering help for his two daughters’ Girl Scouts programs. He was a member of the American Legion and was affiliated with the Lawrence United Methodist Church.
During retirement, he purchased land near his hometown of Morocco, part of which has been held by the Purdy family since 1906. He enjoyed his retirement working his land and spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren.
Eldon is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Beverly Purdy of Indianapolis; four children: Ellen (Dale) Eisman of Hampstead, North Carolina, Edward (Margo) Purdy of Brownsburg, Indiana, Elaine Purdy of Zionsville, Indiana and Jason (April) Purdy of Indianapolis; one brother, Delbert Purdy of Illinois; six grandchildren: Mariah Eisman, Tom (Julia) Eisman, William Purdy, Miranda Adams, Cathryn Purdy and Kyle Purdy; and one great-granddaughter, Aria Eisman, who has a baby brother on the way.
He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers and seven sisters.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, private family services will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 with Rev. Wayne Williams officiating. Burial with military honors will follow at Oakland Cemetery in Morocco. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the American Heart Association, the Newton County Food Pantry, or the charity of your choice.
The service will be recorded and uploaded to our website following the service.
To view the service on mobile devices, scroll down below the obituary and click “Watch Webcast”.
To view the service on a desktop computer, click “Photos & Videos” above the obituary. Scroll down and click “Watch Webcast”.