Purvis met Carolyn Todd in 1948, when she was 16 years old and he was 24. They were wed the next year and were married for 64 years. She died on Nov. 22, 2013, at age 81, The Purvises owned Purvis Garage in Glennsville, where Carolyn lived her entire life. The couple had three children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.