James Michael Purifoy

James Michael “Mike” Purifoy, lovingly known as Michael to family and friends, passed away peacefully on September 1, 2026, following a courageous battle with cancer. He was born on September 17, 1957, and grew up on Wildlife Road in the Antioch community outside of Bridgeton.

To know Michael was to know someone who genuinely cared about people. He loved people, and people loved him right back.

Michael was the kind of friend everyone hopes to have—the one who showed up. If something was broken, he would help you fix it. Better yet, he would often take the time to show you how to fix it yourself. If you needed a hand, he would lend one. And sometimes, when there was nothing to fix and no problem to solve, Michael simply listened.

One of his familiar ways of starting those conversations was, “So tell me, what’s going on with you?”

It was a simple question, but coming from Michael, it meant something. He really wanted to know. He had a way of making people feel that what was happening in their lives mattered to him. He was a good friend, a willing helper, and someone people knew they could count on.

That caring spirit extended well beyond his circle of family and friends. Michael had a heart for helping others and enjoyed delivering Meals on Wheels to seniors in need. Whether helping someone he knew or serving someone he might never see again, kindness simply seemed to come naturally to him.

And then there was the beach.

If there was one place where Michael seemed especially at home, it was with the sand beneath his feet and the ocean nearby. His happy place was Emerald Isle, where he loved spending time at his camper at Camp Ocean Forest surrounded by friends and the special group of people who became his “beach family.”

Michael was an active member of the Emerald Isle Beach Patrol Social Club and gave his time and energy to projects aimed at cleaning up, caring for, and preserving the beach he loved so much. His niece affectionately described him as a “beach bum,” and Michael probably would have worn the title proudly. The beach wasn't simply somewhere he visited; it was part of the life he loved. Donation information: https://square.link/u/h7gkMxoz?src=sheet

Michael carried that same helpful spirit into his professional life. He served as General Manager of Pitt Property Management in Greenville, where his natural ability to work with people, solve problems, and lend a helping hand served him well. For Michael, work was never simply about getting a job done—it was about the people involved. Whether helping solve a problem, sharing what he knew, or simply taking the time to listen, he brought to his work many of the same qualities that made him such a valued friend to so many.

Michael also dearly loved his “boys,” Luke and Milo. His dogs held a special place in his heart, as did the many four-legged companions who had been part of his life through the years. They were family to him, plain and simple.

Most of all, Michael loved his family. He treasured the people who shared his life and filled it with memories, laughter, love, and more than a few adventures.

Even during the difficult days of his illness, his strength and determination remained evident. Just days before his passing, when his niece told him he was a “tough cookie,” Michael answered with one of those unmistakable crooked smiles—a small moment that has already become a treasured memory.

Michael leaves behind a life that was full—not merely because of the places he went or the things he did, but because of the people he loved along the way. His legacy can be found in problems fixed, lessons taught, beaches cared for, meals delivered, dogs spoiled, conversations shared, and countless moments when somebody needed a friend and Michael was there.

He is survived by his parents, James and Lillian Purifoy; sisters, Pamela Purifoy Gaskins and husband, Robert, and Connie Purifoy Brame and husband, Eddie Jr.; nieces and nephews, Misty Jones and husband, Kyle, Cathy Valerian and husband, Leo, Jason Gaskins and wife, Joanna, Megan Brame and Stephen Sciere, and Tiffany and Isabelle Brame; ten great-nieces and great-nephews; his beloved dogs, Luke and Milo; and a host of extended family members, friends, and his cherished beach family.

The family will receive friends from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Monday, September 7, 2026, at Antioch Free Will Baptist Church 760 Antioch Road New Bern, NC 28560. Following the visitation, a celebration of Michael’s life will begin at 2:00 p.m., with Chaplain Angel Lorton officiating. In honor of Michael, the family suggests that you wear your favorite beach attire to the service.

In lieu of flowers, Michael requested that memorial donations be made to the Emerald Isle Beach Patrol Social Club, an organization and mission that reflected his love for the beach and his desire to care for the place that brought him so much happiness.

There are some people whose lives are remembered not through grand gestures, but through a thousand smaller ones—the helping hand, the lesson patiently taught, the phone call, the listening ear, the crooked smile, and the simple act of asking someone how they were doing and actually caring about the answer.

That was Michael.

And perhaps those who loved him can hear him even now, signing off in the familiar way that was so uniquely his:

“Love ya, mean it!”

Bennett Funeral & Cremation Care is honored to serve the family and friends of James Michael Purifoy.