Augustine J. Purpura, 85, of East Wareham, passed away on June 11 under hospice care. He was the husband of Joan M. (Slater) Purpura and the son of the late Joseph and Lena (Mascari) Purpura.

He was born in Quincy and lived in Braintree and Marshfield. He spent summers in Wareham before moving there permanently in 1991.

Mr. Purpura served for four years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and spent 9 months traveling to the far east on the U.S.S. Bennington.

“Augie” was the owner and operator of Southern Artery Shell in Quincy for many years.

He enjoyed working with wood and adding rooms onto his home in Wareham.

Survivors include his beloved wife of 60 years, Joan M. (Slater) Purpura; his children, Nancy Purpura of Wareham, Susan Purpura of Brockton and Russell Purpura of Wareham; three sisters, Norma Hall of Weymouth, Rose Montanaro of Plymouth and Josephine Bowen of Plymouth; many nephews and nieces. He was the brother of the late Mary Venti and Dorothy Silenzi.

His funeral will be held at noon on Thursday, June 15 in the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 2599 Cranberry Highway, Wareham. Burial will follow in the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne.

Visiting hours are from 11 a.m. to noon p.m. on Thursday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the SouthCoast VNA, 200 Mill Road, Fairhaven, MA 02719 or to the VFW, 406 W. 34th St., Kansas City, MO 64111.

For directions and online guestbook, visit: www.ccgfuneralhome.com.