A couple weeks ago Ed flew out to "Chi-Town"
where he got to be with LOTS of PURKEYS!
where he got to be with LOTS of PURKEYS!
As some may know, Ed is a native of the Midwest who transplanted himself to the West Coast while still in college. Consequently, all his own 'kinfolk' are too far away to see very often.
This summer, his cousin's daughter living in Chicago got married--- and asked him to fly out to perform the wedding!
Needless to say, he jumped (or should it be flew?) at the chance!
It was SO good to see uncles, cousins, etc. that he hadn't seen literally for decades...
Here is his 1st Cousin & Father-of-the-Bride, Bob Purkey (left), bride-to-be Susan Purkey, and groom-to-be Greg Gibson. Susan is a professional in interior design and Greg, an architect. ...Ed was especially glad to visit with his Uncle Glenn - age 94.
The Wedding was outdoors (Ed's favorite wedding venue ever since serving in National Parks), in a City Park on the shores of Lake Michigan...
However, bride Susan broke her ankle(!) just weeks before the ceremony. She used a fashionable clear lucite cane to come down the aisle, and as you see in the photo below, a crutch during the reception- - -
Her left hand displays her white gold wedding ring, and on her right hand is the historic "PURKEY RING".This Gold band was given by her forebear Jacob Purkey to his bride, Agnes at their wedding in 1829(!). She wore it until her death 57 yrs later. It has since been worn by various "Purkey brides" at their respective weddings for years (including Karen when she & Ed were married in 1969).
BTW-- The scene of our Rehearsal Dinner is of some "Movie Fame"- - - It has been in numerous feature films including "The Untouchables", where it served as Sean Connery's character's apartment bulding.
More later!--Ed & Karen
