The Search...

I had very little to go off of when this unquenchable thirst to find my Biological Grandfather began.  There have been times over the course of my father's life when he has tried to reach out and find his father.  After all, that's what Richard said when he left my Nana and my dad back in the 50's , "If he wants to find me he will".  My father has made many phone calls and most of them have turned up with nothing...there's not much point in sharing about those attempts but below are a few stories my father shared with me when seemingly ordinary days gave way to unusual circumstances which brought my father to a point where he thought he was close to finding his Dad only to find that he was left with more questions than answers. 

There was a time in the late 80's My father did a lot of traveling with A.N.F. Pet food.  At that time our family lived in New Jersey and would fly in and out of Philadelphia frequently.  My father would park his car away from the airport and would call a shuttle to come pick him up to take him to his waiting vehicle.  One day when picking up the phone to call the shuttle they asked his name and he replied with "This is Mr. Purdy" , "Oh, Mr. Purdy!  We'll be right there" the dispatcher replied. My father was surprised at the tone of the man on the other side of the line.  He obviously thought he knew my father though my father was surprised at that.  these workers must see countless people a day why would he remember him so well?  When my Dad's ride arrived the man was surprised to not see the Mr. Purdy that he thought he was picking up.  He asked if he was "Mr. Purdy's son"  to which my father replied that well... yes, he was.  My father told the driver about him not actually knowing his father.  The Driver admitted that my dad did resemble the Mr. Purdy he sees frequently at the airport.  Due to the shuttle company not wanting to hurt their relationship with a long time customer they could not give any information about the Mr. Purdy they knew but the exchange sure did have my father wondering who that Mr. Purdy was and if they were related.

In the 90's
My family lived in Smyrna Delaware.  We resided on a 4 mile country block and my Mother and Father often enjoyed their morning and evening walks around that block.  about a quarter way around the block there was a local farmer who would sell farm fresh eggs and garden produce.  My parents would often exchange waves and greetings as they made their way around their daily fitness rout.  One time my parents visited the home in hopes of buying some Eggs.  This opened up an opportunity for conversation and when the man learned that my father's last name was Purdy he was quick to ask if he was related to Richard Purdy.  My father of course had to reply that yes, He was related to a Richard Purdy but proceeded to tell the farmer the story he had shared so many times before.   The Farmer talked about how he and his wife knew a man from his days working at Scott Paper in Philadelphia who's name was Richard Purdy.  He said that the Richard he knew had moved to either Tuscon Arizona or Texas but could not recall which.  My father came back to the Farmer to share with him the only picture he had of his Dad.  Both the Farmer and his wife were quick to agree that the man in that picture looked a lot like the Richard they knew.

After having this conversation with the Farmers my father was curious and decided he would search for contact information for any Richard Purdy's in Tuscon or in the State of Texas.  In his phone calls he had an interesting conversation with a man named Richard Purdy who claimed to not be the Richard my father was looking for but all in the same breath asked how my father was doing.  My father thought it was strange that this man would care about how he was doing if in fact he had no familial connection to him.  My dad told him a little about his life, and his family,  the man seemed genuinely interested as they spoke but the conversation ended without any further confirmation... My father believed that while he just might have spoken to his father, he had no proof of it and may never know if in fact he was related to that man.


So, is my Father's Dad in Texas? Is he in Tuscon? Is he dead? or maybe still alive? Did he work for Scott Paper? Did he stay in the military? was he a company executive who used the same shuttle service my dad did in Philadelphia?  ... Oh the questions we have... Did he have a family after my Dad was born?  did he tell his family about the half brother they had?  Did he ever wonder what his oldest Son was doing?  Maybe someone reading this blog knows, maybe it's you.... Then again... maybe it's wishful thinking.