Doris Marie Rowe Pursel

Doris Marie Rowe Pursel

Jan. 25, 1926 - Jan. 18, 2015

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Doris Marie Rowe Pursel was born on Jan. 25, 1926, in Lenox, Iowa, to C. Stanford Rowe and Ethel Mae Dunkle Rowe. She passed away in her home with her husband by her side on Jan. 18, 2015, in Tallahassee Florida.

She moved to Mitchell, Nebraska, at age nine and after graduating from Henry High School, she moved to Curtis, Nebraska, where she served as the substitute depot agent for the High Line Railroad. This is where she met her husband of almost 71 years, Loren L. Pursel. They married in September 1944. She was a devoted wife and loving mother to their daughter, Patricia, granddaughters and great-granddaughters.

She had a long list of accomplishments, including her involvement as a Girl Scout leader, trainer and district chairman and a member of the Guiding Star Council. She also enjoyed teaching Sunday school at her church. She had a smart mind for business and was an impeccable bookkeeper and office manager. She was heavily involved in the telephone industry, having served on the communications board for then-Gov. Kerrey in Nebraska.

She was a talented self-taught seamstress and she shared these talents for many years as the costume director for the Easter pageant. She made many of the original costumes. She was also a very instrumental part of the Little Theater in Curtis. Her love of sewing kept her busy making suits for her husband and beautiful dresses for her daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She made certain that her great-grandchildren had the best dressed Barbie dolls in town. Her gift as a seamstress also won her first place in the state sewing competition, "Make it in Wool," in Lincoln, Nebraska.

She and her husband retired to Lake Maloney in North Platte, Nebraska, where she once again became involved in the ticket sales and the costume department for the North Platte Community Playhouse. After several years at the lake and many fond family memories and reunions, they moved to Sun City Center, Florida, to be close to her daughter and grandchildren. She enjoyed making new friends and traveled all over Florida and the US with the gadabouts.

She also enjoyed gardening and baking. Many hours were spent in the kitchen with her daughter, granddaughters and great-granddaughters, learning her recipes and listening to her wonderful stories. She made sure to pass along her amazing apple pie recipe to her great-granddaughters. Her passion for cooking and love of fancy shoes was also inherited by them. She loved her family more than anything. Her family is a beautiful reflection of all the love she gave. She will always be remembered as the "rock" of her family and will forever be our shining star. She'll be greatly missed by those she leaves behind.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two granddaughter's, Monique McGooden and Tiffiny McGooden Daniels; her sister, Norma Jean Rowe and three brothers, Marvin Rowe, H. Dean Rowe and Frank Rowe.

She is survived by her husband, Loren Pursel; her loving daughter, Patricia Zukoski (Tom); grand daughter, Shauntelle Catani (Johnny Johnson); and her two great-granddaughters, Mikayla Catani and Angelina Catani and their father, Al Catani, all of Tallahassee; her brother, Robert Rowe (Judy); and two sisters, Eva Couch and Marylou Appell, as well as many nieces and nephews whom she loved greatly; and countless devoted friends.

A celebration of her life will be Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015, at Culley's Meadowwood Funeral Home, 700 Timberlane Rd., in Tallahassee Florida. Visitation will start at 12:30 p.m. and the service will begin at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in honor of her name at Big Bend Hospice.