Gordon James Purvis
December 4, 1961 – July 23, 2025
Gordon was born on December 4, 1961 to Karen and Tom Purvis in Evansville, Indiana. He moved to Tucson in 1962 and was an Arizona resident until his death.
Gordon graduated from Sahuaro High School in 1979 and joined the United States Navy. He served in the Navy for four years then came home to Tucson and was a member of the United States Navy Reserves for another eight years. After the Navy he enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves for another two years. He ended his military career with 14 years of service to the country that he loved.
Gordon graduated from the University of Arizona in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. He worked for a couple of big corporations but found his true passion when he became an American Family Insurance agent in 1997. As an agent he was able to use the skills God gave him to help people in many situations. He was very passionate about service and was a true people person often going above and beyond for his clients.
Gordon moved his family to Sonoita in 2005. He was a member of both the Mountain Empire Rotary Club and the Santa Cruz County 4H Club, where he was a leader of various projects for close to 20 years. He also volunteered at Boulder Crest Foundation in Sonoita, where his wife works, helping to serve the veteran and first responder community.
Gordon was known as “MacGyver” to his family and friends, as he had the skills to fix just about anything, from a broken vehicle to a leaky roof and everything in between.
Gordon also had a deep faith in his Lord Jesus and was an active member of his church in Tucson, Christ Community Church, where he faithfully attended since 1988. He taught Sunday school, worked in Kids church and was a Bible study leader there for 31 years. He also served on the Christ Community Church’s security detail.
Gordon married his wife, Denise Harris Purvis, in Nogales, AZ in 1985. They were blessed with four sons and lived the best life possible filled with love and adventure. Gordon loved to ride good horses and drive Ford trucks.
Gordon leaves behind his wife of 40 years Denise, his sons Randy (MaryAnna), Timothy, Joshua, Levi (Alisa), granddaughters Emelia, Riley and Jordan, and his sisters Belinda (Doug) Morgan of Oregon and Cheryl (Scott) Thomas of California.
Our hearts ache for our loss but we know we will see him again in Eternity one day.