Elizabeth "Betty" D. Purcell

Mrs. Elizabeth (Betty) Purcell, age 94, of Louisville, KY passed away on Thursday, December 22, 2022 with her family by her side.  Betty was born on September 18, 1928 to the late Harry S. Burton and Florine (Brady) Burton in Louisville, KY. After graduating from high school, she worked several jobs, one being at a drug store where she met the love of her life, Jack Purcell. Together they were married at the old St. Rita Catholic Church and shortly after started their family which consisted of 9 children. She was a homemaker for over 21 years and at the age of 41 she returned to school graduating at the top of her class, where she successfully became a nurse and worked for over 23 years at the old Methodist Hospital. After retirement Betty decided to do private duty sitting and worked for many years helping other families with their loved ones till almost the age of 75.

Betty was a devoted member at St. Louis Bertrand Catholic Church for over 50 years. There she was a member of the Rosary Altar Society, a Eucharistic minister, and a faithful volunteer at the Food Pantry with the church until she was nearing her 90’s.  She was also a member of Bells and Bows, a volunteer at the Kentucky Center for the Arts, and Actors Theatre.

Betty enjoyed traveling with her friends and was able to travel to many places such as Ireland, Canada, Rome, Paris, Nova Scotia, just to name a few but Betty’s favorite place was the beach. She went for many years to Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head and one of her favorite spots, Isle of the Palms in Charleston, S.C. where she spent many years walking up and down the beach collecting her shells and enjoying the ocean which she did until she was 93 years old.

She also had a love for reading and I can guarantee you she’s read over 10,000 books in her lifetime and was still reading up until a few weeks ago. She also had a love for water aerobics and spent over 16 years at the Southeast YMCA on Six Mile Lane until she was 90 years of age when her children asked her to stop driving.

Betty never met a stranger, with that said she made many good friends over the years.  She was a gracious and humble person, always placing others before herself. There are too many stories to tell and not enough paper to write down all the beautiful things about her life. Betty will truly be missed by all that knew her. She is the last of this Purcell Era. The baton will be passed to the next Matriarch in the next generation.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her former husband , John (Jack) Purcell; her father- in- law, William (Willie) T. Purcell and her mother- in- law, Mary (Baldwin) Purcell; sons,  Michael Purcell and Shawn Purcell; grandson, Keith Purcell; great-grandson, Napoleon Gunn; her brother, Harry S. Burton, Jr and his wife, Dorothy Burton; her brother- in- laws and their wives, William (Abner) Purcell and his wife, Mary Frances Purcell, Colonel Robert B. Purcell and his former wife, Marian Purcell; her sister-in-law, Jeanne M. Purcell; niece, Mary Pat Bryant; daughter-in-law, Suzanne Purcell; nephews, Bill Purcell and Robbie Purcell.

She leaves to cherish her memory, her daughter, Cheryl Miller (Dan); daughter, Sheila Purcell; son, Kevin Purcell (Joy); daughter, Colleen Donohue (Jeff); daughter, Maureen Purcell; son, Brian Purcell (Colleen) and daughter, Shannon Zuver. Betty had 16 grandchildren, David, Chris, Adam, Emily, Anthony, Colin, Kendall, Aaron, Danielle, Matt, Lee, Nathan, Brittney, Allyson, Chase, and Sam; great-grandchildren, Olivia, Sophia, Ryan, Arlo, Betty, Kai, Quentin, Maddie, Meg, Max, Ke’yon, Jordyn, Jaydyn, and Ray, Finn, Linus, Quinn, Audrey, Isaiah, London, Ronan, Orin, and Elliott; daughter-in-law, Dr. Patricia Purcell; sister-in-law, Suzanne (Tatum) Purcell; former daughter-in-law, Kris Schulenburg, along with a host of many nieces, nephews and other dear family and friends, and 3 special grandkids, Hickory, McCauley, Tallulah.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:30am on Friday, December 30, 2022, at St. Louis Bertrand Catholic Church (1104 South Sixth Street, Louisville, Ky 40203) with burial to follow at St. Louis Cemetery.

Family and friends may pay their respects on Thursday December 29, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Schoppenhorst, Underwood and Brooks Funeral Home (Preston Hwy. at Brooks Rd.) with a Rosary Service at 3:00pm on Thursday at the funeral home.

The family wants to thank Hospice of Louisville for their kindness, and expressions of sympathy can be made to St. Jude’s or St. Joseph’s Orphanage.

www.subfuneralhome.com