Betty Jean Allen Purdy

Allen and Lucille Beatrice Tomei Allen on February 5, 1934. The family lived in St. Louis during

Betty's early childhood and moved to Ft. Des Moines, Iowa at the outbreak of WWII.

Betty finished her elementary and secondary education in Des Moines and was a member of her high

school synchronized swim team, captain of the golf team, and the Homecoming Queen.

In1951 she was the Des Moines city golf champion. Upon graduation from high school in 1951,

Betty enrolled at Drake University as a music education and piano performance major. She was

a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota Fraternity, and the Mortar

Board National Honor Society. Betty served as director and accompanist for the competitive

choral groups and continued at Drake earning a Masters Degree in Music before moving to

Rutherford, NJ in 1956.

She was employed by the school district in Rutherford to teach music education. She did her post

graduate work at New York University while continuing as a fulltime music teacher.

In 1958, Betty married the love of her life and husband of 52 years, Stanley

A. Purdy Jr., a Professor of Music at Fairleigh Dickinson University. They moved to Ringwood,

NJ where they started a family. While in Ringwood, Betty and her husband founded the

Lakeland Community Chorus, Stan as director and Betty as accompanist. Betty was the choir

director and organist at St. Catherine of Bologna Catholic Church in Ringwood from 1961-1988

and taught music education in the Ringwood public school district in both the Robert Erskine

and Peter Cooper elementary schools from 1970-1988. She received a commendation from the

Governor of NJ for her excellence in teaching. Betty also found time to be a den mother for the

local Cub Scout pack.

In 1988, Betty and her husband Stan retired from teaching and moved to

Hilton Head Island, SC where she continued her vocation as organist for the next two decades;

serving as choir director and organist for St. Francis by the Sea Catholic Church and organist

for Congregation Beth Yam. She and her husband were founding members of the Low Country

Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. A life-long devout Catholic, on Sept. 17, 2000,

Betty made her public profession into the Secular Franciscan Order and was a founding

member of the Fraternity of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary chapter in Hilton Head.

Following her husband's death in 2010, Betty moved to High Point, NC in 2013 to live at the

Pennybyrn at Maryfield continuing care retirement community run by the Sisters of the Poor

Servants of the Mother of God. She was an active member of the community, serving as

director and accompanist for the Pennybyrn Singers and an organist at Maryfield Chapel as well

as continuing her fraternal association with the Secular Franciscan Order through Our Lady of

the Blessed Sacrament chapter.

Betty Jean is survived by her children Craig, Carl, Carol,Clarice, and Cathryn; her grandchildren

Clara, Elizabeth, Cory, Christopher, Nicholas, Cara, and Ian; her sister Suzanne Strickland, as well

as many loving extended family members andbeloved friends.

A Memorial Mass will be held at Maryfield Chapel, High Point, NC on February

14th at 10:00 am. Prelude music will be provided by her family, the Purdy Chamber Ensemble,

30 minutes prior.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Pennybyrn at Maryfield

Resident Care Fund at 109 Penny Rd. High Point, NC 27260 and condolences can be

expressed through the Sechrest Funeral Service, High Point, NC.