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A dad left to care for two children after the death of his wife from cancer has died in a car crash.

Richard Purvis, of Elsenham, was just 51. His wife Beth, known to Indie readers for her Bowel Warrior column, passed away in June last year, five days after her 42nd birthday.

The couple had two children, Bishop’s Stortford High School student Joe, 14, and Abi, 12, who goes to Herts and Essex High School.

Precious moments for Richard and Beth with their children (59765851)
Precious moments for Richard and Beth with their children (59765851)

An online fundraising appeal in aid of the youngsters, called “Raising money for their futures”, set up by Beth’s friend Cassie Brodie and Nicola Helm, raised more than £20,000 through over 800 donations in 48 hours since its launch on Wednesday.

Richard, an electrician who ran a property maintenance and building service, also had two sons, Sam and Charlie, from an earlier relationship and was a grandfather.

According to Essex Police, no other vehicle was involved in the car crash, which happened on Hall Road, Elsenham, on Saturday (October 1) at about 4.50pm.

Richard and Beth Purvis (59765855)
Richard and Beth Purvis (59765855)

A spokesman for the force said: “We arrived and sadly found the driver of the car had died.

“We are investigating the circumstances which led up to the incident and we need anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage of it to get in contact.”

A spokeswoman for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said: “On arrival, crews reported that a vehicle had left the roadway and was on fire. Crews extinguished the fire by 5.47pm.”

Richard grew up in Sawbridgeworth, attending Leventhorpe School, and moved to Houston, Texas, in the USA when he was 21. He returned to the UK 11 years later.

Richard and Beth with their children Abi and Joe (59765849)
Richard and Beth with their children Abi and Joe (59765849)

Richard and Beth married in 2007 and faced her devastating cancer diagnosis together. They were told in September 2016 she had stage 3 bowel cancer and a month later she underwent an operation to remove a bowel tumour. Chemotherapy followed.

By November 2017 the cancer had progressed to stage 4 and spread to Beth’s lungs, and on the eve of their 10th wedding anniversary, the couple were told it was inoperable and incurable.

Beth, who completed a law degree during her illness, started her no-holds-barred Bowel Warrior column for the Indie in May 2019 as part of her mission to raise awareness of this devastating yet curable disease and its symptoms.

Beth with Richard, who she described as "the love of her life" (59765853)
Beth with Richard, who she described as “the love of her life” (59765853)

She stopped contributing a year later, when cancer spread to her brain, to devote her last months to Richard and their children. Joe and Abi are being cared for by their maternal grandparents.

Richard and Beth previously ran their own wedding photography business, and he was a keen motorbiker and Arsenal fan.

After he was widowed, Richard got engaged to Michelle Brace, publican of the Wheatsheaf in Rye Street. Their relationship ended in September.

* Anyone with information about the crash should contact www.essex.police.uk/digital101. Alternatively, call 101 and quote incident 906 of October 1.



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