Gerald "G.A." Allen Purcell

Gerald Allen “G.A.” Purcell passed away on July 7, 2026, at the age of 53, from complications of pneumonia as a result of his long-standing battle with cancer. He died peacefully in the arms of his wife, Jenny, and left this earth a truly loved man.

G.A. was the best of men. A genuine gentleman of Texas, he was known for his razor-sharp wit and never-ending kindness, especially towards life’s underdogs. G.A. was born on February 25, 1973, to Gerald Nevett Purcell and his wife, Laura Cherry (Stinnett) Purcell, and raised on the banks of the Brazos River in Navasota, Texas. He graduated in 1993, from St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas, where he first met—and was initially shot down for a date—by his future wife, Jenny Cook Purcell. He went to college at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and graduated from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas in 1997, with a major in Spanish and a minor in Economics. Upon graduation, he returned to Navasota, Texas, to manage his family’s hardware store, J. Youens & Co., in partnership with his father. During this time, he was a member of the Grimes County Historical Commission and the Grimes County Jaycees. He also served as an ambassador for the Grimes County Chamber of Commerce and as a fundraiser for the Mance Lipscomb Memorial Blues Festival.

In 2010, he returned to Austin, where he reconnected with Jenny over a “dog” date at Zilker Park. Winning the long game, G.A. married Jenny on May 9, 2015, in the chapel at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School. In 2013, he began his employment at Breed & Company, where he ultimately rose to hold the position of General Manager. In 2020, he began work with Orvis, combining his love for the outdoors and his talent for sales. During this time, G.A. volunteered with Austin Pets Alive and, along with his wife, worked with a number of dog rescues across Texas to foster and save the lives of more than 60 dogs.

G.A. was fiercely intelligent, brilliantly clever, and was happiest engrossed in an article on foreign policy or in a good historical documentary. He loved Texas Longhorn football, hiking, and traveling, especially to Costa Rica, Mexico, Colorado, or London. He was an avid supporter of Texas live music and loved to listen to the Texas Tornadoes while cooking a good steak.

G.A. was preceded in death by his sister, Laura Ruth Purcell, of Austin, Texas, and his father, Gerald Nevett Purcell of Navasota, Texas, and his aunts Amy Purcell Powell of Navasota, Texas, and Judith Purcell Ferguson of Big Spring, Texas.

G.A. is survived by his wife, Jenny Cook Purcell, his mother, Laura Cherry Purcell, of Navasota, Texas, his niece Gillian Louise Downey and grandnieces, Marlowe Jeanne Farmer and Stevie Sue Farmer of Austin, Texas. He is also survived by his Aunt Ann Stinnett Farrell and her husband James Farrell, Aunt Jeanne Stinnett Stillwell-Bullard and her husband Rupert Bullard.

G.A. is also survived by cousins Stephanie Tiemann Prange, her husband Michael Prange and their children Sydney and Mia Prange, cousin Ross Tiemann and his wife Kirsten Tiemann and their children Jacob, Max, and Caleb Tiemann, his cousin Hunter Farrell and wife Sarah Farrell and their children Austin and Lachlan, and his cousin Elizabeth Farrell Hendrie and husband Damon Hendrie, their sons, Connor James Hendrie and Hayden Allen Hendrie (Godsons to G.A. and Jenny). Additionally, G.A. is survived by his cousin Emily Jane Atkinson and her husband William Atkinson.

He is also survived by his mother-in-law, Jeannette Schaleben Cook, his sister-in-law Courtney Cook Johnson, her husband Jim Johnson, their daughters, Adelaide and Catalina Johnson, and his sister-in-law Stephanie Cook Vacroux, her husband Nick Vacroux and their daughter Vivienne Vacroux.

A funeral service honoring the life of G.A. Purcell will be held 1:00 p.m. on Monday, July 27th, at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, in Tarrytown, Austin, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Jack Jack’s Packs Street Dog Rescue at www.jackjackspack.org, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) at www.myhaam.org, the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Austin, Texas at www.gsaustin.org, or Saint Stephens Episcopal School, Austin, Texas, at www.sstx.org