Louis Purpura

Birth: December 8, 1928 | Died: June 27, 2022

On June 27, Louis Marion Joseph Purpura died with family at his side. He was born December 8, 1928, in Chicago to Phillip and Mary Purpura, the tenth of eleven boys. After graduating from Tilden Tech High School in Chicago at age 16, he attended College of the Holy Cross outside of Boston, serving as a Naval cadet. He chose to be honorably discharged when his dreams of becoming a pilot were preempted due to his near-sightedness. He continued his education at Illinois Tech. He left Illinois to pursue a career in the Aerospace Industry. Lou returned briefly to Chicago to marry his sweetheart, Therese (Terry), and then returned to California with his wife to start a family. They lived in Long Beach for 6 years, then in Anaheim for almost 60 years, and finally at Morningside, a senior retirement community in Fullerton. Lou started his career with North American Aviation, and attended night school at USC to complete his education with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautic Engineering, and continued with Rockwell International until his well-planned retirement. He had wonderful “golden years” traveling the world, watching his children mature, get married, and have children and grandchildren of their own. He enjoyed playing poker and pinochle, was a life-long student of the game of bridge, and was an avid participant of the CSUF Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) with his wife. Of all of Lou’s passions, the greatest joys he had was time spent with his family. One of the highest highlights was his 50^th wedding anniversary cruise to Mexico that he and Terry hosted. Additionally, the annual Memorial Day weekend in Palm Springs was the event his family all looked forward to for nearly 40 years. Christmas Eve celebrations were just as cherished and were marked by wonderful Italian home-cooking, gift exchanges, and matching festive outfits worn by his grandsons.   Anyone who had the privilege of knowing him will always remember the twinkle in his eye, his hearty laugh, and his smile. Lou embodied genuine kindness, grace, and was always a true gentleman. He seldom lost his temper and never said a harsh word about anyone.   Lou’s immense legacy is carried on by his family. He was a loving father to Patti, Bill, Marty, Mary, John, and Laurie. His four children by marriage, Gary, Paula, Fred, and Trish, were far more than “in-laws.” He was immensely proud of his seven grandchildren, Robbie, Danny, Greg, Veronica, Gabriel, Scott, and Andrew. He cherished his four great grandchildren, Weston, Dalton, Logan, and Elias. Jim Purpura is his sole surviving brother. And just as he loved his family, he was just as loving to his dogs, Archie and Fred, who are looking forward to their walks, Italian meals, and hugs in heaven. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to www.stjude.org or www.covenanthouse.org.