Richard D. Purkis passed away on November 6, 2021. His daughter Megan informed me yesterday, saying he passed peacefully. He was in the 3rd Plt. Alpha Co. from July 1967. In December 1967 Rich was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds he received when track 34which he was driving hit a road mine at Katum. Purkiss Richard Of Devon, PA, and Avalon, NJ, passed away peacefully on July 27th, 2022 after a valiant battle with cancer. He fulfilled his final wish and spent one last summer in Avalon, hosting family and fishing with his buddies. He was generous, kind and courageous and he leaves legions of family, friends and colleagues who loved him. He also touched the lives of generations of young trick-or-treaters as the magical Great Pumpkin, who talked to the children each Halloween for over 40 years. Richard (Purk) was born March 19, 1941, in Pasadena, CA, but grew up in Darien, CT. He attended The Hotchkiss School in CT and then Princeton University, where he graduated Summa cum Laude in Economics. He began his financial career at Walston and Co. and in the early 1970's he started a long and distinguished career at Janney Montgomery Scott in Philadelphia, ultimately serving as CEO. He mentored many young brokers in the Philadelphia area and after his retirement he continued to participate in financial arbitration cases for the NASD. He will be remembered for his high ethical standards, his honesty and his fairness. Always athletic, he enjoyed participating in many sports, particularly golf, skiing, softball and deep-sea fishing. He ran two marathons and coached high school ice hockey as well. He taught his children and grandchildren to ski on water and on snow. He was also an enthusiastic cook and his summer dinners at the shore are the stuff of family legend. He was dearly loved by his wife Christine, his sister Marily, his 3 children, Allen, Christopher, Cyndi, step-daughter Tracy, and his 11 grandchildren.