Born on April 18, 1915, in Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, Canada, he prepared for college at Windsor Academy and Kings College School and in 1938 attended Teacher’s College in Truro and taught for a year in Ellershouse and for five years in Windsor. In 1948, he was graduated from Acadia University, from which he received a master of arts degree in 1951. He taught French at Horton Academy of Acadia University from 1946 to 1952. In that year, he joined the faculty at Monklands High School in Montreal, where he taught French and mathematics until 1965 and was also vice principal for two years. In 1963, he received a master of arts degree from Bowdoin through the National Science Foundation graduate program in mathematics and in 1965 joined the education faculty of McGill University in Montreal, where he taught mathematics and served a term as chair of the education faculty. He retired as an associate professor in 1980. He composed a number of choral works and was a self-taught musician, playing the piano, the organ, the trombone, and the tuba. He was married in 1938 to Eileen Church, who survives him, as do three sons, Winston Purdy of Montreal, David Purdy of Pierrefonds, and John Purdy of Toronto; a brother, Stanley Purdy of Toronto; and five grandchildren.