I am looking for a newspaper article as too what happened exactly too Dr. Leslie E. Purman and wife Faye (Leighton) Purman on Nov. 27-28-1966, in Pine Stump Junction, would like to have the complete story. Clearly they froze to death. But a newspaper article giving family etc., if the memorial is where this unfortunate tragedy happened, why and how etc. Would greatly be appreciated. Thanks alot for any help..
Steve

# November 27, 1966 On this night, a snow storm took the lives of Faye (Leighton) Purman and Leslie "Doc" Purman along Luce County Road 414 near Pine Stump Junction. The following story is from Carl Bonakes Weather Page http://www.wluctv6.com/Global/story.asp?S=5735455. The proprietors of Pike Lake Resort had just closed the place down for the winter, as the last of the deer hunters headed south. Faye Leighton had operated the resort since 1941. A widow for over 20 years, she married a longtime family friend, Leslie "Doc" Purman in 1964. As darkness fell that Sunday evening, the couple left isolated Pike Lake and headed toward Newberry on one of the backwoods roads. They became stuck along the way and apparently decided to walk to the Pine Stump Junction Bar for help. The pair struggled through the biting wind and blinding snow for nearly four miles. Exhausted, they probably decided to rest for a while. Their frozen bodies were found cuddled up in a snowdrift beneath a cedar tree on December 1, three days after the storm ended. Ironically, they were less than a half-mile from their destination. A ferocious gale and snowstorm rendered a short hike an insurmountable obstacle that evening in late November 1966. From "So Cold a Sky, Upper Michigan Weather Stories".

The following two photos were taken by Ben Musielak in May 2007. purmans1.jpg / purmans2.jpg

http://books.google.com/books?id=1vioLQGvvz8C&pg=PA175&a...
This article begins on page 174

Thank-you very much, that's actually sad, there's also a motel right across from thier memorial also, I don't know if that was there then or not, but surely,the houses were.. I'm gonna order that book now... thanks again!
Steve

Happy to have been able to help. Good Luck in your search.

Hi Steve....
i see you are interested in the purman death/story...???

i just wondered why???? and if you are family....

I too wondered about this....I understand /have heard,,,
that they are buried in the newberry cemetary...

i have often wanted to clean up thier stone memeorial and repaint the fence...and wondered who take care of this and who are the trailblazers...
Ben Musielak

Hi Ben
They struck my interest last summer when I was in Pine Stump during the fire, and it seems a tragic way too go especially since afew hundred feet further, they woulda been safe. It just struck me, no relation, I posted some pic's on my cemetery website for anyone interested, They maybe buried in Forest Home, never thought too look, anyway's, if you can access the clipping on thier story and email it too me so I can post it on my site, I'd greatly appreciate it... I was sent the story, but from a book. copyrite law's, I can't post from that. here's my cemetery site, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~michigance... it's what I do for helping other's, hope you enjoy Steve

I will have to look to see if we have any of the news articles. Les and Faye were close friends of both my mother's and dad's families. My mother's mother and stepfather had owned Pine Stump Junction for several years. We had Thanksgiving dinner that year with the Purmans at my dad's parents home. It was my Aunt and Uncle who found the bodies. The bodies were actually discovered several hundred yards farther east and on the opposite side of the road from where the memorial rock and plaque are. She was sitting up against one of the Pine trees and he was found several yards away toward PSJ. We have always felt he was probably helping or carrying her at that point, left her under the tree to go for help once he could see lights and just made it the few yards.
As far as the motel across from the memorial, it was not there until many years after the event. This is approx where they were found as best as I can remember: http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=46.57707,-85.58878&z=18&t...

That is an interactive aerial photo and you can zoom out and see Pine Stump Junction to the south and west. My aunt and uncle who found them had stood up with them in their wedding.