Helen D. Purvis

Helen Duane Purvis, 83, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Lansing, Michigan. She was born in McKenzie, Tennessee, on October 30, 1935, to James Dalton and L. V. (Jones) Boothe. After graduating from Gleason High School in Gleason, Tennessee, Helen moved with her parents to the Lansing area. Her first job was at Cuban Honey, then she moved on to a job at Beurmann-Marshall before starting a long career as a cashier, first at Willard’s on Michigan Avenue in Lansing, then with Schmidt’s Supermarkets and L&L Food Centers; her last job was at the Country Club of Lansing, where she worked for a few years as a housekeeper before retiring. Helen enjoyed gardening and canning; creating beautiful oil paintings; working jigsaw puzzles with friends; and shopping at garage sales, Goodwill stores, and the Home Shopping Network. She also enjoyed her faith. Helen was a follower of Christ all her life. As a child she attended Beech Springs Baptist Church in Gleason, Tennessee. In Lansing, she was a long-time member of Bethany Baptist Church. In her later years she attended Mason Assembly of God in Mason, Michigan.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, James Glynn Purvis.

She will be lovingly remembered by her children, James “Jim” D. (Helen) Purvis and Teresa K. (Mike) Chase; her foster daughter, Deborah Whitaker; her grandchildren, Taylor Chase, Jennie Horton, and Lisa Snell; and her nine great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at noon at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, Lansing Chapel, 900 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.

A private interment will be held in Deepdale Memorial Gardens in Lansing.

For those desiring, memorial contributions may be made to Sparrow Hospice Services (1210 W. Saginaw, Lansing, 48915) in memory of the excellent care Helen received from Home Hospice and the Hospice House of Mid-Michigan.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.grlansing.com.