Charles (Chuck) A. Purin passed away November 17th, 2020 at Javon Bea Hospital from COVID-19. He was born March 29th, 1943 in Rockford, Illinois to Charles J. Purin and Rose A. Cannova. He attended St. Anthony’s Grade School and graduated from St. Thomas High School in 1960, and then attended Northern Illinois University. He served in the U.S. Army from 1964 – 1966 as a social worker and trained as a field medic.

He finished his service at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana. He worked for Rockford Coatings for 30 years in sales. He then became a sales rep for Compressor Engineering for 10 years until retirement. He was a lifetime member of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. He was a member of the Holy Name Society and the Venetian Club.

Chuck enjoyed traveling with Jane to destinations with an ocean and a casino. A very special family tradition going back 37 years was spending one week in the North Woods of Wisconsin every summer with his family. Chuck’s favorite hobby was golf. He won numerous amateur championships and had 6 holes in one throughout his golf career, the last being in 1988. In retirement, Chuck found great enjoyment volunteering with the Rockford Park District’s Junior Golf Program. He was proud of his work developing sportsmanship, attitude, and the golf swing of these young golfers. He particularly found joy in the relationships he formed with the golfers and their families.

Chuck will be survived by those who cherished him most, his wife Jane of 51 years, his daughter Erika Link (Aaron), sons Michael (Christi) and Christopher, his sister Linda Ciaccio; his grandchildren Elliott Link, Madeline Link, Dominic Purin, and Nicholas Purin; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the ER and ICU staff at Javon Bea for putting their lives on the line to care for COVID patients. The kindness of the staff who were with Chuck at the end of his life when we couldn’t be at his bedside will never be forgotten. A private family graveside service is planned. A celebration of life will be planned for a later date.