Obituary: Shirley Ann Purdy

Shirley Ann Purdy, 91, of Gettysburg, left us peacefully in the early morning hours of July 5, in her home and surrounded by family.

A beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, she will be remembered by many for her kindness to all and devotion to family. She was a lover of travel and nature who also took great delight in being an excellent cook, accomplished musician, lifelong learner, and, perhaps most of all, an educator who made a positive difference in many young lives.

Born on April 22, 1934, in Ashland, Ohio, she was the youngest of seven children born to Joseph and Ethel Picking. She was predeceased by her brothers, Donald, Harold, Marshall, and Robert, and her sister, Evelyn Cochran. She is survived by a sister, Patricia Renney, of Amherst, Ohio.

Shirley acquired her love of travel and learning from her parents and siblings. Perhaps her earliest memory was of a visit to Gettysburg in 1938, when family members drove from Ohio to attend the 75th Battle Anniversary and President Roosevelt’s dedication of the Eternal Peace Light Memorial.

Following high school, where she was an honors student and played trombone in the band, she returned to Gettysburg as a freshman at Gettysburg College. There she met her future husband, Richard C. “Dick” Purdy, of Lansdowne, Delaware County, PA. They were married on February 6, 1955, and celebrated their 70th anniversary last winter.

The Purdys eventually relocated to Columbus, Ohio, where Dick taught junior and high school English and Shirley concentrated on raising a growing family. With her own children all in school, she enrolled at Capital University, where she earned her teaching degree. She began her life’s work as an English teacher at Sherwood Junior High School in Columbus.

In 1968, the family, now including three children, returned to Gettysburg, where Shirley began teaching at Gettysburg Junior High School and heading up the dramatics program. She directed several memorable and award-winning productions before moving on to Gettysburg High School, where she continued to teach English, was again involved in the drama program, and served as the advisor for the school newspaper. She retired from teaching in 1993.

In retirement, Shirley planned many trips, not only for Dick and herself, but also for other family members. She and Dick cultivated a particular fondness for Ireland and England, both of which they visited multiple times. They visited the Purdy family in County Down, Northern Ireland, and established a close friendship with Ron and Margaret Carden of Ashford, Kent, in England, whom they first met through a house exchange program.

Shirley was a longtime driver and deliverer for Meals on Wheels and greatly enjoyed volunteering at the Adams County Library’s bookstore, where she would spend extra time carefully curating titles to be given to family members at Christmas.

She was an active member of Prince of Peace Episcopal Church, where she helped establish a family legacy spanning nearly 60 years and producing many lasting friendships. She sang in the church choir until her health forbade it, recruiting her granddaughters as choir members, often providing them with transportation to church (and breakfast) on Sunday mornings. She was also a member of the Gettysburg Civic Chorus for many years.

At home, she and Dick took great pride in maintaining and beautifying their backyard garden and pond and feeding a large bird population. Together, they enjoyed PBS programming, Phillies baseball, college football, the simple pleasures of the daily newspaper comics and crossword puzzle, or a leisurely game of Rummikub. She was an avid reader who especially enjoyed the novels of Louise Penny, the historical fiction of Ken Follett, and the monthly issues of Smithsonian and National Parks magazines. A lifelong and stalwart fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes, she claimed that OSU games were a contributing factor to her occasional blood pressure problems.

Shirley was never happier, no matter the occasion, than when her home was full of family and friends. As time passed and the family became more scattered, she took renewed pleasure in welcoming friends of the family and friends of friends. In what was to be her final earthly Thanksgiving dinner, and upon learning that some Gettysburg College international students would be left alone on campus during the holiday break, she gleefully welcomed two young ladies from Nepal to the family feast.

Over the years, she maintained contact with former students, following their careers, families, and successes, linked through personal visits or, in later years, social media.

In addition to her husband and sister, she is survived by her three children, Richard Mark (Sharon) and Marshall Scott (Holly) of Gettysburg, and Ann L. Beard (David) of Clarksville, TN; seven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

In December, each of her descendants, their spouses, and a number of cousins, nieces and nephews, from 80-plus to barely three years of age, will hang up a Christmas stocking with their name on it, hand-knitted by Shirley – mom, cousin, aunt, grandma, and great-grandma.

Contributions in memory of Shirley Purdy may be made to The Friends of the Adams County Library System.

A memorial service in celebration of the life of Shirley Purdy will be held at Prince of Peace Episcopal Church, 20 West High Street, Gettysburg, on Saturday, July 26th, beginning at 2 p.m.