Obituary of Madeline Latta Purcell

Purcell, Madeline Hall Latta died on July 4, 2016 in Hillsborough, North Carolina; she was 92. The only child of the late Joseph Edmund and Jessie Stillwell Latta, Madeline was born and raised at Ogedanke Farm in the Schley community of Orange County, North Carolina. She was a graduate of her mother's alma mater, Meredith College, where she majored in religion and minored in French. A member of Meredith's Golden Oaks Society since 1994, she attended her 70th college class reunion in 2014. As a legacy student she was also a member of the Granddaughter's Club at Meredith. Following graduation from Meredith she took a degree from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education which was part of Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to her marriage she worked as secretary to Dr. Robert F. Kirkpatrick, a professor at the seminary. In 1947 she married Warren Carver Purcell and resided with him at his boyhood home BelleVue, an historic plantation on the Appomattox River in Chesterfield County, Virginia. There she continued to enjoy the pursuits of country life first learned as a child on her parents' farm. When her children reached school-age Madeline obtained certification in library science from the Richmond Professional Institute, now Virginia Commonwealth University, and soon after began a long career as a children's librarian in the Chesterfield County Schools. She and Warren shared 58 years of life together at BelleVue until his death there in 2005. As a riparian landowner on the Appomattox River Madeline became a charter member of the Board of Directors of both the Friends of Chesterfield's Riverfront and the Friends of the Lower Appomattox River. She and Warren had an abiding interest in the health and sustainability of the river, and she strongly supported her husband's efforts when he was appointed by Virginia Governor John Dalton to the commission that subsequently obtained Scenic River designation for the Appomattox. A cradle Presbyterian, Madeline was baptized, confirmed and married at Little River Presbyterian Church which was established by her ancestors in 1761 in Orange County. She was the author of A History of Little River Presbyterian Church which continues to serve as resource material for historians of life in that part of the state. Following her marriage she became a member of her husband's church, Second Presbyterian, in Petersburg, Virginia where she took an active part in the life of the church until her return to Hillsborough in 2008. In addition to her parents and husband Madeline was pre-deceased by an infant daughter Catherine Lucille. She is survived by her son Edmund Warren Purcell and daughter-in-law Anne McKee Purcell of Hillsborough; her daughter Patricia Lockwood Bonham and son-in-law Paul Windsor Bonham of Petersburg; grandson Matthew Purcell (Emily) and great-grandson Thomas of Laurinburg, North Carolina; grandson Andrew Purcell (Alicia) and great-grandson Mason of Hillsborough; grandson Patrick Purcell of Hillsborough; niece Kathy Linthicum (Sandy) of Raleigh; and nephew Archie Purcell (Dorrie) of Chapel Hill. The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the staff and administration of Brookshire for their care, compassion and support during the eight years of Madeline's residence there. A Service of Witness to the Resurrection will be conducted by the Reverend Charles Link at Little River Presbyterian Church at 3 p.m. on July 7. The family will receive friends after the service at a reception in the fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Little River Presbyterian Church, 4211 Little River Church Road, Hurdle Mills, NC 27541, to Second Presbyterian Church, 419 West Washington Street, Petersburg, VA 23803, or to a charity of choice. Arrangements are under the direction of Walker's Funeral Home of Hillsborough.