Beth Purcell Obituary Links and Burial

May 19th, 2023 – Post #83

I just wanted to start with this picture, which has always cracked me up, and acknowledge here that I don’t have the skill of “working the switchboards” like my mom did. Sorry for not keeping up with calls, texts, emails, and comments. My phone has been on silent for most of the last five months just to try to keep my head above water and when I look at my inbox, I get overwhelmed, and don’t even really open anything.

My mom – working the switchboards

I am looking forward to a slower pace, and being able to take time to touch base with people – but in the meantime, I just don’t want anyone to feel ignored – that’s not at all my intention.

Thank you for your patience in waiting for the Wabash details. I felt like we needed to get through the St. Louis service, before focusing on the second phase. I think we finally have those details ironed out.

Probably my favorite part of the funeral from Wednesday was when someone’s cell phone rang during the service. I kept thinking, ‘If my mom was sitting here, she’d have a hard time not answering, because she’d feel rude ignoring the caller.’ Besides, they might have something important to say!

I could just picture her picking it up, and saying in a not-so-soft whisper, ‘Can I call you back in a few minutes? I’m at a funeral.’

I shared that thought with Erica, and she corrected my scenario, adding, “Yeah – but first, she would have let the person talk for a couple of minutes, and then said, ‘I’m sorry, I’m at a funeral, so I can’t really talk right now – can I call you right back?”

I can’t tell you how many times I told her it was okay to let people leave a message and get back to them; but she could never seem to catch on to that.

Anyway, that was my favorite part of her funeral.

I know some have asked for a copy of the poem, written by my mom’s mom, which I read. You can find that here.

I know K.U.M. was going to try and record the service. If so, I will try to share a link here soon.

Wabash Visitation, Funeral, Burial, and Meal

My mom was transported to Indiana yesterday, and we plan to hold services Wednesday, May 24th in Wabash, Indiana.

The Visitation and Viewing will be from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. at Grandstaff-Hentgen, which is located at 1241 Manchester Ave, Wabash, IN 46992.

The funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. in the same location, and then there will be a procession from Grandstaff-Hentgen to the Friend’s Cemetery, which is located on Millcreek Pike in Wabash. This is always a significant drive to me, when we have family funerals, because we pass by the homes of both sets of my mom’s grandparents, and her childhood home.

The cemetery itself holds quite a bit of history – being the final resting place for many family members and friends – and the site of a particular car accident that took place on my parent’s wedding day.

The way I’ve heard the story told, my mom and dad were riding along in their Volks Wagon bug, possibly with a Great Dane in the far back, returning from picking up their wedding cake, when they came upon a car wreck. A woman had pulled out of the cemetery and T-boned another car. As they approached, my mom, who had the cake in her lap, cried out, “That’s Daddy!” and practically tossed the cake to my dad to get out as fast as she could. I think my grandpa had a few broken ribs; but wouldn’t go to a doctor until after the wedding was over.

Beyond that cemetery, after the S-curve, on the same road, is the brick farmhouse where my parent’s were married and lots of my favorite memories were made in the following years. I think it’s kind of special to have so much of my mom’s personal history on the same road where she will be laid to rest.

After the graveside service, we plan to proceed to Wabash Friends, which is located at 3563 State Rd. 13, Wabash, In, 46992, for a lunch around 12:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

We would also like to have a time of sharing as we eat, so if anybody has any “Beth Stories” – this will be a great opportunity.

Wabash Friends asked me for an estimated head count, and I had no idea what to tell them for sure. Feel no pressure to do this; but if anyone would like to bring a side dish or dessert, or any other special recipe, we would greatly appreciate it.

Obituaries for both St. Louis and Wabash

My dad wrote her obituary, and it is up on the Bopp Chapel website for St. Louis, and also Grandstaff-Hentgens’s for Wabash.

There is also a slideshow Erica (and possibly others) put together of pictures of my mom and some of the people she loved. There are many more photos we could add; but I think we maxed out the capacity. The link for that is here, if you’d like to see it.

Accommodations in Wabash, Indiana

If you are traveling to Wabash from out of town and are unfamiliar with the area, here are some options for where to stay:

Charley Creek Inn

Hampton Inn

Holiday Inn

There are also several options through Airbnb (for those with mobility issues, I would ask for clarification about the stairs, because some of them are rather steep – I need to track down a rather hilarious video of my mom trying to navigate up and down in a tiny house loft from one stay here).

There are also places to camp and RV hook-ups and rentals nearby.

There are plenty of things to do in Wabash, and the Visit Wabash County Website is a good place to start making plans.

If you do make the trip to town, my mom would want you to get a Mocha Latte from Modoc’s and a Sour Cream Donut from Mike and Roxie’s (I know they have moved locations – I think they are across from the BK now). Believe me, it’s worth it to track them down – a friend recently described their sour cream donuts as “life changing”). 🙂 They were one of the few food items my mom still wanted in the last couple of months of her life. We kept a stash of them in the freezer – too bad for her she chose to share – they went pretty fast.

Anyway, that’s a lot of information. Thank you for all of your kindness. Much love, Jody

To read a little of my thoughts in the aftermath of two funerals, you can click here.

*To read about one of Beth-E’s big adventures, where she made all sorts of faces, please click below on “Losing Strength and Telling Stories”:

Losing Strength & Telling Stories

*To read more on my mom’s cancer journey from the beginning, or share it, please click below:

It’s Cancer

Jody

I'm not sure what to say here: I once got second place in a dog-look-alike-contest? I know how to fold a fitted sheet? I'm pretty much a poster child for social backwardness - at least as far as social media is concerned; but I have some stories I think I'm supposed to share and am attempting to do that here, in this space.

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