William Vernon Purcell, Jr. of Drakes Branch, age 90, passed away at his home October 30, 2015.  The son of the late William Vernon Purcell, Sr., and Ruth Hatch Purcell, William spent his lifetime as a dairy farmer in Charlotte County, Virginia.  He was a member of our Greatest Generation and served his country during WW II in the U. S. Navy aboard the U.S.S. Crux in the Pacific Theater.  His loyalty and commitment to his country and community was evident, serving as a member of the Charlotte County Farm Bureau for over 47 years, and president for 31 years, president of  Charlotte County Ruritan Club, and as a Master Mason of Saint John’s Masonic Lodge 144 AM and FM for greater than 65 years.  He was chairman and board member of the Charlotte County Soil Conservation Board and lifelong member of the Lebanon United Methodist Church.

He leaves to cherish his memory his wife of 63 years, Lucille Blanks Purcell; a son, Dr. William V. Purcell, III of Powhatan, VA; a daughter, Ruth P. Williams and son-in-law, Wayne Williams of Mechanicsville, VA; two grandsons, Jeremy N. Williams and wife, Jaymi of Ashland, VA; Andrew V. Williams and wife, Amy,  two great-granddaughters, Rebekah Anne and Gracelynn Ruth, all of Mechanicsville, VA; a sister, Harriet P. Garrett of Charlotte Court House, VA; two sisters-in-law, Doris B. McNeny and husband, Thomas of Richmond, VA and Rachel B. Dickerson and husband, Gerald of Concord, NC; nieces Becky and Wendy; nephews, Sam, Lee, Rod, Jeri, and other great nieces and nephews who all enjoyed spending time at the farm.

The family will receive visitors on Sunday, November 1, 2015, from 3 to 6 p.m., at the Browning-Duffer Funeral Home in Keysville, VA.  Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, November 2, 2015, at the Lebanon United Methodist Church, with interment in the Purcell Family Cemetery at his beloved Oak Hill Farm in Drakes Branch. The Browning-Duffer Funeral Home in Keysville, VA is in charge of the arrangements.