William Lawrence Lurvey

William Lawrence Lurvey, 90, died peacefully on Oct. 2nd at Morningside retirement community in Indianapolis where he had resided the past two years.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday (Oct. 10) at Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation South Cemetery.
Bill was born May 18, 1924, one of five children to David and Fanny Lurvey. He was preceded in death by sisters, Rosalie Rothbard and Frances Hackett; and brothers, Jerome and Leonard Lurvey.

Known as Billy to his many friends and as "Uncle Bill" to his 11 beloved nieces and nephews and extended family, Lurvey was a lifelong resident of Indianapolis. Many gathered for a 90th birthday party for him in May at Hollyhock Hill, where he arrived in a convertible to a throng of adoring family and friends, and where at a dinner speech he talked emotionally of a life that had many trials and tribulations.

Billy was a Navy veteran of World War II, serving with valor in combat zones in the Pacific Theater. After the war, he was employed with his father's company, Hatfield Electric, and later became one of the first owners of an executive recruitment business. He went on to found and run several commercial real estate businesses and to own numerous properties in Indianapolis and was also a licensed auctioneer.

A graduate of Shortridge High School who went on to study engineering at the University of Illinois, Billy had a great thirst for knowledge. His understanding of history, politics, geography, Judaism, Hoosier lore and other subjects awed family and friends. "I'm a mile wide and an inch deep," he liked to say, and those close to him knew he was being only half true. His pursuits were eclectic and included collecting classic cars, listening to news broadcasts from around the world on shortwave radio, and membership in the Council of Foreign Relations and Kiwanis clubs. He was a longtime member of Broadmoor Country Club. A lifelong bachelor who rarely cooked, Billy was a fixture at MCL Cafeteria, the Donut Shop and other "joints," as he liked to call them. He never passed up a social invitation, where he was often the life of the party and one of the last to leave.

He was also known for acquiring an array of vehicles, from a salvaged U.S. Mail truck to a classic 1940s Cadillac, all of which he loved to tool around town.

His greatest love was for his family, and as the eldest surviving sibling he worked to connect succeeding generations to their past. Whatever the hour or situation, family members in need knew they could always count on Uncle Billy.

In his later years, his hearing diminished and he suffered the usual agonies of aging, but his mind remained remarkably sharp. In his last days, he talked of taking courses, learning to use a computer and opening a real estate business.

He expressed deep gratitude to nieces, Karen and Diane Lurvey, who lovingly cared for him in his later years. His family also expressed thanks to the staff of Morningside for their support.
Fond of Yiddish expressions, Billy was too modest to call himself a "mensch." But to the many lives he touched, he was that and much more.

The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be given to the Shelley Shane Social Justice Fund at the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation.

Arrangement entrusted to Aaron Ruben Nelson Mortuary. Friends may leave a memory or message of condolence by visiting the online obituary at www.arnmortuary.com.