Purcell Jones

John Purcell Jones, 93, of Morehead City passed away Wednesday, June 24, 2015 at Carteret General Hospital.

A funeral service will be held 7:30 pm Sunday,at Glad Tidings Church, June 28, 2015 with Rev. Tim Havlicek officiating. The family will have a private graveside service.

Purcell Jones was born in the community of Waygram in Scotland County and grew up in Clinton, NC.  He graduated from Clinton High School and later studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he graduated in 1950.  He went on to receive his Master’s degree at UNC-CH with a degree in Physical Education in 1955.

Purcell and Helen had met when they were both 16 in Warsaw and they were married four years later on March 9, 1943.  Purcell joined the US Navy where he served in the SEA BEES from 1943-1945 on the Solomon Islands in the Pacific during the War.

Upon graduation from UNC-CH Purcell and Helen returned to Clinton where he taught and coached at Clinton High School.

Purcell was a counselor at Camp Morehead in the 1940s and became assistant director in 1957.  In 1959 he purchased the Camp from Pat Crawford, its founder.  Camp Morehead would become Purcell and Helen’s year-round mission, providing summer adventures and character building experiences for thousands of young men and women until 1995.  Campers came from across North Carolina, Virginia and beyond to learn outdoor skills and lifelong lessons along Bogue Sound.

In 1995 Camp Morehead was developed into the Village of Camp Morehead but the memories, friendships and stories continue today, a testament to Purcell’s love of the outdoors and young people.

Purcell Jones was one of the state’s most respected waterfowlers, hunting in Canada for decades each October and building a decoy collection from across the Mid-Atlantic. He was the founder of Ducks Unlimited in Carteret County and a founding board member of the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center on Harkers Island where he continued to work until his death.  His commitment to waterfowling traditions and his love for hunting collectibles is known throughout the waterfowl community.

Purcell loved golf and served as the president of the Morehead City Country Club where he and Helen were awarded The Order of the Longleaf Pine by Governor James B. Hunt, Jr.  Purcell was an active member of the club and with Helen’s help, they created the Seafood Tournament that is still talked about to this day.

Purcell’s influence reaches across the state and around the country, living on in generations of community leaders, teachers, coaches and professionals of every field who were shaped by their summers at Camp Morehead and their lifelong friendships with Capt. Purcell.

His love for waterfowling and the outdoors will carry on as the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center continues to preserve and share the heritage he lived and loved.

His friendship will remain a treasured gift for all who knew him.

He is survived by his daughter, Helen Davis of Morehead City; son, John Purcell Jones and wife Jacqueline Parham of Garner; brother, Daniel Steven Jones of Clinton; grandchild, Preston Davis and great-grand-child, Eleanor Gale Guthrie.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Helen Jones; parents, Roland and Eliza Jones; brother, Roland Jones, Jr: and granddaughter, Ashley Davis Guthrie.

The family will receive friends at Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center on Sunday, for a reception from 1:00-2:00 pm. The visitation will follow from 2:00-5:00 at the museum.

In lieu of flower's, donations may be made to Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center  PO BOX 556 Harkers Island, NC. 28531