Robert Edward Pursley

Mr. Robert Edward Pursley, 80, of Winston-Salem, passed away peacefully on Saturday, August 27th 2016 at Forsyth Medical Center. Robert, ""Bob"", was born in Cuba, N.Y. on January 28, 1936 to the late Reverend Robert Montgomery and Mary Twist Pursley. He grew up in Elizabeth and Bordentown, N.J. Bob graduated from William MacFarland High School in 1954. He was a 1958 graduate of Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia with a B.S. in Engineering. Following college graduation, Bob was employed by Western Electric as a technical writer, initially working briefly in Winston-Salem before transferring back to the office in Whippany, New Jersey. Bob also served as a sonarman in the Naval Reserves and saw one year of active duty during the Berlin Crisis in 1961. He continued working for Western Electric and its subsequent companies for 37 years. Bob worked in New Jersey, Winston-Salem and Illinois, during the course of his career but his most memorable job location was when he took his family to live on Kwajalein, in the Marshall Islands for 2 years. He was a member of two professional organizations: STC and IEEE. Bob was a lifelong Presbyterian and served as an elder, choir member, treasurer and all around ""go to guy"" at Trinity Presbyterian Church on Bolton St. in Winston-Salem. In addition to church work, he volunteered for Meals on Wheels and for the Shepherd's Center where he served as treasurer and helped coordinate the annual Shepherd's Center Book Sale for many years.
Bob was preceded in death by his brother James Montgomery Pursley of Maryland. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Janice Lee Pursley and his two children, Cindy (Ed) Bodenheimer of Winston-Salem and Scott (Karen) Pursley of Woodstock, Maryland and his grandchildren, Nicholas Bodenheimer, Benjamin and Matthew Pursley. A service to celebrate Bob's life will be held at 2 PM on September 10, 2016 at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1416 Bolton St. The family will receive friends during a reception following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Trinity Presbyterian Church or The Shepherd's Center of Winston-Salem.

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