George Phillip Purcell

George Phillip Purcell, 79, of Wimberley, Texas died at 1:28 p.m. Thursday, June 13, 2019 at Ascension Seton Medical Center.

George was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 24th, 1940, an Easter Sunday. Purcell was one of many children in a working-class neighborhood with parents of minimal education. His life was most affected by the hurricane of 1947, which destroyed their home and all their possessions. Purcell went on to graduate from Francis Nicholls High School in New Orleans and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and pursued a successful career in sales, working for such companies as Proctor & Gamble and Avon. George said that he enjoyed a wonderful life influenced by wife Esther of 41 years and five beloved children. He started writing poetry in 1970 and quickly learned that the creative process is a mysterious one in which the first stanza may be the last.

George is survived by wife Esther of Wimberley, Texas, five children, George Jr., Page, Lisa María, Anthony, and Marta, and eight grandchildren, T.J., Matoko, Jessie, Sènafa, Jake, Graham, Shannon, and Nicholas, and their families.

His Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, July 27, 2019 at 2:00 pm at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Wimberley.