Dr. Robert E. Purnell an accomplished optometrist, community servant, and man of faith passed away on Thursday, May 26, 2022 at age 79. Dr. Purnell was a graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. Before joining his father’s practice in Rutherford, he and his wife provided free optometric care on a Navajo Indian Reservation. Taking over the family practice from his father, the Family Care Vision Center is the longest continuous medical office of any type in the state, founded by Dr. Franklin Seward in 1886. Dr. Purnell received the 2009 New Jersey Optometric Public Service Award. Read more here.