Gary Keith Purcell of Stillwater, Oklahoma left this world on October 21, 2020 to be with his Savior Jesus. Gary was born in Liberal, Kansas on July 18, 1950 to Forrest and Frances Purcell. He was welcomed home by his sister, Jeanne, and brother, Larry. Gary started his life on a farm outside of Hugoton, Kansas. Later his family relocated to grandparent’s farm on the outskirts of Hooker, Oklahoma.
Gary attended school in Hooker and enjoyed playing football and baseball. After graduating from HHS, Gary attended Panhandle State University prior to transferring to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and graduating with a history degree in 1973. He also enjoyed playing intramural volleyball at OSU.
While at OSU, Gary met and fell in love with a city kid from Tulsa. On August 7, 1971, Gary and Cindy were married at Southern Hills Baptist Church in Tulsa, Ok. Gary and Cindy moved to Tulsa where Gary worked in retail and later moved into restaurant management. Gary and Cindy then moved back to Hooker to raise their three daughters Rachel, Amy and Kirsten.
After moving to Hooker, Gary worked for Herbel Concrete then on to Northern Natural Gas. After twenty years in the gas field, Gary retired. With the girls out of the house, he and Cindy moved back to Stillwater where it all began.
Gary’s hobbies and fun included collecting lots of music and antiques, participating in men’s softball, fantasy football and teasing his family. He enjoyed coaching girls t-ball and softball. He later enjoyed photography and owned Purcell’s Portraits.
Gary is survived by his wife, Cindy; his daughters and sons-in-law: Rachel and Delton Hebbert, Amy Miller, and Kirsten and Jeff Campbell; and three grandchildren: Bailey and Hayden Hebbert, and Sye Purcell. He is also survived by his sister, Jeanne Littrell, and brother Larry and Kathy Purcell, brother-in-law, Keith and Jean Winfrey, and sister-in-law, Susan and Jim Griffin, as well as multiple nieces and nephews.
Gary is predeceased by his parents, in-laws Richard and Clarice Winfrey, and son-in-law, Rickey Miller.
Services will be held at 2 pm. Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, at the Dighton Marler Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, at Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa.
Services have been entrusted to Dighton Marler Funeral Home of Stillwater.
Memorial gifts may be made in Gary’s honor to the American Diabetes Assn or American Liver Foundation.