James Wayne Pursley

James Wayne Pursley, 90, Nevada, passed away Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010, in Nevada. He was born on Nov. 19, 1919, in Bolivar, Mo., to Mack Travis Pursley and Ettie Wheeler Pursley. He married Marjorie Eletha Shaw on July 17, 1946, in Fort Scott, Kan., and she survives of the home.

Wayne grew up in Polk County. He served in the United States Army during World War II in Europe as a tank operator and also served in Korea during the Korean Conflict. Following his service, he was a field manager for Kraft Foods for a number of years. Wayne was elected as Vernon County Sheriff; a position he held for four terms, from January 1961 through December 1976. He enjoyed farming and raising livestock. He also loved to hunt and fish. He received a 50 year pin with the Osage Masonic Lodge No. 303 of Nevada, and was a member of the Abou Ben Adhm Shrine in Springfield, Mo. He was also a member of the Nevada Elks Lodge No. 564 and the Nevada Eagles Aerie Lodge No. 3770.

Survivors in addition to his wife, Marjorie, of 64 years, include one daughter, Linda Pfeffer and her husband, Nathan, Greenville, Ohio; three granddaughters, Jennifer Jones and her husband, Chris, Columbus, Ohio, Melissa Murphy and her husband, Mike, Southern Pines, N.C., and Emily Powers and her husband, T.J., Greenville, Ohio; four great-grandchildren, and one brother, Bill, Lancaster, Calif. He was preceded in death by four brothers and four sisters.

Funeral and Masonic services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 7, at Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada. A private family committal will follow in Moore Cemetery, Nevada. Friends may call now and until the hour of service and the family receives friends from 9:30-10:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning, prior to the service.

Memorials may be made to the Shriner's Children Hospital.

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