Sandra Burnell Purvis, 72, of Madison and Naples, Florida, died peacefully at home on June 17. A longtime Madison resident, she was the wife of Richard T. Purvis. The couple had been looking forward to celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in July.

Sandy was born on Jan. 11, 1938 in Portland, Maine, dauther of the late George E. Burnell and Geraldine Beckwith Burnell. A graduate of Deering High School in Portland, she enjoyed a brief career as an X-ray technician at the Maine Medical Center in Portland before leaving the workforce to devote herself to her home, husband, and children.

In 1962, she and her family moved from Maine to Madison, where she established lifelong friendships in the community and took on a number of volunteer roles within her church and her children's school. For several years, she helped manage a holiday craft fair at The Country School in Madison, for which she produced a broad array of unique handmade gift items.

In the late 1970s, she led a small group of dedicated volunteers to establish the original St. Andrew's Thrift Shop in Madison. Known today as "Serendipity," this fundraising arm of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church has provided critical resources to the parish for more than 30 years.

In 1986, Sandy and Rick moved to Wellesley, Massachusetts, where they lived for several years before retiring to Madison and Naples, Florida. Sandy was a member of The Country Club of Naples and the Madison Country Club and she enjoyed many years of golf with her husband and friends.

As the center and anchor of a close-knit family, she focused her time, talent, and love on her husband, children, and grandchildren. A wife who was a true partner to her husband and a mother who was a consistent and guiding presence in the lives of her children, Sandy's legacy is evident in her five grandchildren who demonstrate many of the qualities for which she was known, including her strength, her resourcefulness, her sense of humor, and her love of family.

Besides her husband, she is survived by her son Daniel T. Purvis of Wilton, his wife Beth, and their children Megan, Sean, and Alison; her daughter Deborah Purvis MacDonnell of Niantic, her husband Bob, and their children Madeline and Kyle; and her brother George E. Burnell of Portland, Maine. She was predeceased by her sister Barbara Ann Millett.

A memorial service was held on June 29 at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Madison. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312, or at www.diabetes.org. The Hawley Lincoln Memorial, Guilford, was in charge of arrangements.