Pridgen Obituaries

Sheila Mae Purvis
Sep 21, 1939 - Sep 23, 1998


Sheila Mae Purvis, 59, died at her home on Wednesday, September 23, 1998. She was born in Orlando, Florida on September 21, 1939 to Wiley Hutzler Pridgen and Edith May Barnes. She was medically retired from Hill Air Force Base in 1985 after undergoing a heart transplant at the University Medical Center on March 14, 1985. She worked as a Production Management Specialist until her retirement in 1985. Sheila was the first woman and the second person to receive a heart transplant in the University of Utah Medical Center's newly established Cardiac Transplant Program. She was a pioneer in this program and as a result of her experience and understanding, she became a mentor to many of the early transplant patients. She opened both her heart and her home to these early patients and spent many hours meeting new candidates; providing both transportation and lodging during their stay. She was a member of the Laureate Epsilon Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi. Surviving are her husband, Charles L. Purvis, Ogden; a son, Darrell Dean Kelley, Jr. and his wife, Sherrie, Kennewick, Washington; a daughter, Helen Marie Kelley, Clearfield; a step- son, Charles L. Purvis, Jr., Ogden; her mother, Ruth Carter Pridgen, Live Oak, Florida; two brothers, Michael Hillier, Washington, DC; Wiley Pridgen, Davenport, Florida; and the pride of her heart, her adorable grandchildren, Spencer Dean and Morgan Marie Kelley of Kennewick, Washington. She was preceded in death by her mother, Edith May Barnes Pridgen, a younger sister, Ginger Lee Pridgen and her father, Wiley Hutzler Pridgen. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to either the Heart or Kidney Foundation in Sheila's name. A memorial service will be held Friday, September 25 at 3 p.m. at Lindquist's Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd. in Ogden, Utah.


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