Julius O. Purczinsky

Julius Oswald Purczinsky, Jr. January 6, 1925 - March 9, 2010 Julius O. Purczinsky, Jr., age 85, two months and three days, passed away Tuesday, March 9, 2010, at Hillcrest Hospital. Services will be 10:00 a.m., Monday, March 15, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Chapel with the Rev. Charles Rodriguez officiating and with Rev. Buddy Sipe assisting. Burial will follow at Cottonwood Cemetery in Falls County. Visitation will begin at 6:00 p.m., Sunday, March 14, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey. Julius Oswald Purczinsky, Jr., was born January 6, 1925, in Levi, Texas, to Julius O. Purczinsky, Sr. and Annie Gude Barlow Purczinsky. He was a member of Cottonwood Baptist Church and became a Christian at the age of six at Golinda Baptist Church After passing the A.S.T.P. he was sent to Officer Training School at Ft. Benning, GA; moved into infantry training at Ft. Bragg, NC, due to the need for more men overseas. He landed in France and was sent to the front in the spring of 1944. His date of entry into active service was December 20, 1943. He was in the 399th Infantry Regiment in April 1944. He was in the Normandy Invasion and was wounded January 10, 1945, in the Rhineland. He was in the 100th Division Hospital in Epinal, Vosges. His hospital stay was from January 10 until May of 1945. After recovering, he stayed in the replacement depot in Thionville. His time of service was 18 months in the European Theater of Operation. Julius received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. His rank at the end of service was Sergeant. He was honorably discharged at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, on April 9, 1946. He was a professor of Romance Linguistics. Julius attended the following universities: Pontifical University of American Students in Mexico City; Baylor University and graduated with a B.A. in 1949; then he received a M.A. at Texas University and a PhD in Romance Linguistics in 1957. He received a Fulbright Fellowship to the University of Austria and a Teaching Fulbright to the University of Athens, Greece. Julius taught Turkish pilots English in San Antonio, while a student in 1955 at University of Texas; taught at Baylor in the spring of 1957; taught at University of Southwestern Louisiana at Layfette; Kansas State University at Manhattan, Kansas; University of Reno; and Hunter College in New York City, retiring in June of 2001. He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by two sisters, Francis Jane Akers and husband, Rev. Tim Akers, and Furn L. Smith; niece, Lynne Gonzales and husband, James; two nephews, John Akers and wife, Kim, and Tim Akers and wife, Lorie; five great nieces, Stephanie Alvarado and husband, Israel, Stacie Rivas and husband, Arturo, Monica Gonzales and fiance, Joel Munoz, Meredith Akers and Jackie Akers; two great nephews, Alexander and Tyler Akers; and three great-great nieces, Lily and Maddy Rivas and Gabby Alvarado. Pallbearers are James Gonzales, Arturo Rivas, Israel Alvarado, Vernon Hansen, Charles Hansen, Louis Wedemeyer and Joel Munoz. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our “Memorial Guestbook” at www.wilkirsonhatchbailey.com.