Robin S. Purcell

Robin Sue “Queenie” Purcell, 79, of Falls Church, Virginia, entered her eternal reward on November 5, 2025, after a brief but courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. She passed peacefully at home, surrounded by the children and family she loved so deeply.

Born on October 25, 1946, in Middleton, Ohio, Robin was the beloved daughter of Robert James Bohrer and Betty Jean Bohrer and sister to Bobby Bohrer. She grew up in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where her lifelong love of horses first took root. An avid equestrian, Robin trained extensively in Pennsylvania, England, and Norway—experiences that nurtured her independence, discipline, and confidence, qualities she carried gracefully throughout her life.

Robin graduated from Indiana University Bloomington and began her career as a French teacher. After the birth of her first child, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to the sacred calling of motherhood. Raising her four children—Tiffany (Gabe), Joel, Ian, and Tasha (John)—was her greatest joy and the role that most defined her life. She delighted in every moment with them and later with her grandchildren Aidan (Julia), Thomas, Eve, Annabel, Andrew, Indianna, and Van. Her love for her children and grandchildren was boundless and unwavering and expressed daily in countless gentle, thoughtful ways.

Robin also formed deep and enduring friendships that became part of her extended family—including Zak and Elisabeth Mudoba and their children Ethan, Elijah, Evan, and Eliana, whom she cherished as her own. Later in life, Robin worked for more than 20 years at Gannett Media, where her colleagues became a second family. She was known in the office for her kindness, generosity, and the quiet steadiness of her faith—a presence that lifted others and made everyone feel seen and valued.

A woman of deep Christian faith, Robin lived with gratitude, humility, and grace. She found God in the beauty around her: the woods and trails of Northern Virginia where she hiked on weekends, the flowers she stopped to admire on her lunch breaks, and the small garden she tended lovingly on her back porch. Birds visited her daily, drawn to the feeder she faithfully kept filled, and her porch became a tranquil sanctuary for both nature and reflection.

Robin embraced every opportunity to celebrate the people she loved. She was famous for choosing the perfect gift: thoughtful, personal, and wrapped so beautifully one almost hesitated to open it. She remembered every birthday, anniversary, and milestone, marking each one with a carefully chosen card that made others feel cherished.

She also found immense joy in cheering for the Washington Capitals. No matter how busy life became, she never missed a game, whether in the arena, at practice, or from her living room. The day before her first round of chemotherapy, she made it to one more Caps game, cheering her team on with enthusiasm!

Robin will be remembered for her devotion to family, her loyalty to friends, her generosity of spirit, and the warmth she brought to every room she entered. Her life was rich with love—love she gave freely, fiercely, and with remarkable intention. Her legacy lives on in the many lives she touched with her faith, kindness, and unwavering heart.

Remembrances in her honor may be made to the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.