Francis Purcell, a former Nassau County executive, professional baseball player and World War II veteran, died on Sunday in his Florida home. He was 95.
“He was a very easy guy to be with,” said Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) who served as Nassau County Comptroller under Purcell for six years.
Purcell is best known for his initiative to turn Mithcel Field, a former Air Force base, into a recreational facility for the use of county residents. He also spearheaded initiatives to create downtown business areas in Long Beach, Freeport and Hempstead.
“His philosophy was to represent hard working people,” King said. “That was the base of his cause.”
Purcell was also a level-headed politician who never allowed reports from the media to upset him or change his course, King said.
“He never panicked,” he said. “He was always able to calm a situation down.”
In 2004, a portion of Hempstead Plains was renamed the Francis T. Purcell Preserve at the Hempstead Plains.
Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano said in a statement on Monday “We will remember Fran for his love of our county and I will remember him for his thoughtful advice. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Barbara and family.”
Purcell was once described as the “father of all Republicans in Nassau County” by Nassau GOP Chairman Jospeh Mondello.
Purcell was born in Brooklyn in 1918 and was the oldest son of a paper salesman.
His family moved to Malverne where Purcell played baseball at Malverne High School.
Following a brief career as a runner in Wall Street, he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939 and was assigned to their farm team.
Purcell was then enlisted into the U.S. army in 1941 where he served in the Medical Corps in England and France.
Purcell returned to the states for a weekend in 1942 and married his wife Barbara.
The couple moved to Malverne where they had three children: Kim Purcell of North Carolina, Patricia Harvey of North Carolina, and Diane Kohut of Long Beach.
Purcell later served as a trustee on Malverne’s village board for eights years and served as mayor for eight more years.
Purcell served in the state Assembly for a year before being appointed the town of hempstead supervisor and later as the town’s presiding supervisor.
In 1977, Purcell challenged then-Nassau County Executive Ralph Caso in the Republican primary and won. He later won the general election.
King said Purcell’s demeanor as a county executive was the same as he was outside of political office.
“In many ways Francis as a politician was the same as him as a person,” King said. “If you didn’t know he was a county executive, then you wouldn’t know he was the county executive. That’s just how he carried himself.”
King also said he never saw Purcell have an outburst while in office.
“He never embarrassed anybody in front of anybody else,” King said. “What he did behind closed doors, I don’t know.”
Purcell retired from politics two years into his third term in 1987.
Purcell then went on to serve as political commentator for News 12 Long Island until 1997.
In 1998, he and his wife moved to Florida.
King said he last heard from Purcell about a year ago when he called the congressman from his Florida home.
“He gave me a call to tell me that I was doing a good job,” King said. “It just brought me back to so many memories.”
In addition to his wife and children, Purcell is survived by his sister Ruth Lerza of Malverne, 13 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
Reach reporter Anthony O’Reilly by e-mail at aoreilly@theislandnow.com, by phone at 516.307.1045 x203 or on Twitter @reilly_anthony. Also follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.
