Elizabeth Purdum Vander Els

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Elizabeth Purdum Vander Els, 83, died Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008. Born F. Elizabeth Purdum on Aug. 13, 1925 in Cumberland, Md., she was the eldest child of Dr. Raymond Purdum and Myrtle Matthews Purdum. Her siblings were Raymond "Doc" Purdum of Kingwood W.Va.; Margaret Goddin of Elkins W.Va., and Reginald Purdum of Montrose W.Va.

She graduated valedictorian from Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, where she majored in education and would meet her future husband, John R. Vander Els. The couple married on May 28, 1949. He died on Nov. 4, 1996 at the age of 80.

She and her husband moved from West Virginia to New Jersey. They went on to have four daughters, Bella Elizabeth Guilmartin of Groton, Mass., Margaret "Peggy" Louise Misch of Brandy Station, Va., Phyllis Ann Yensan of Charlottesville and Tara Lynn Euler of Kennebunk, Maine. During the course of their lives their daughters would remain their focus. It didn't matter where they lived, Elizabeth and John went there. They were the proud grandparents of six grandchildren and aunt and uncle to countless nieces and nephews. They were devoted to their family.

After raising her daughters in the Lake Mohawk section of Sparta, Elizabeth went on to teach elementary school for many years at the Helen Morgan School in Sparta. She was a beloved teacher who never stopped learning from her first- and third-graders. They brought a great deal of joy into her life. She was member of the Sparta Presbyterian Church for more than 50 years. In her retirement she resumed a love of hers from her adolescence, water colors. She took classes in the media and continued to be a lifelong learner herself.

One of her joys in retirement (and while raising the family) was travel. With the family, the nation's national parks were the preferred destination. The family spent every summer on the road in a tent trailer. In her retirement years, she traveled with her husband and her sister Margaret. After her husband's death, the sisters continued their travels, going down the Yangtze River in China, sailing the Danube, and traveling to Russia and Egypt - just to name a few of their travels. Once asked what she would tell the younger generation, she replied to travel as much as possible.

In her later years, she and John retired to Lafayette Meadows Road in Lafayette.

After breaking a hip, Elizabeth relocated to Charlottesville, where she was lovingly cared for by the staff at the Martha Jefferson House Infirmary. She was fortunate to have two of her daughters nearby - Phyllis and Peggy - who were faithful company for her.

The family would like to thank Dr. Daniel Becker for his wisdom and guidance and Dr. Khaled Saleh, whose skill enabled Elizabeth to walk for two more years.

Friends may call Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008, from 4 to 6 p.m., at the Goble Funeral Home, 22 Main St., Sparta. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the First Presbyterian Church of Sparta, 32 Main St., Sparta. Interment will follow at Sparta Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Elizabeth's memory to the Martha Jefferson Christmas Fund at 1600 Gordon Ave., Charlottesville, VA 22903 or Hospice of the Piedmont at 2200 Old Ivy Road, Suite 2, Charlottesville, VA 22903.