Jean Purcell celebrated her 105th birthday on Monday, July 8. Photo provided.

News Release

WINONA LAKE — Jean Purcell, formerly of Milford, celebrated her 105th birthday on Monday, July 8. She was born in 1919. She currently resides at Grace Village in Winona Lake.

She was born Jean Christiansen in Chicago, Ill. She married Lester Purcell in Chicago on Aug. 13, 1941. They moved to Milford when Da-Lite Screen closed their Chicago plant. Lester passed away in 1974. Lester and Jean had one son, Randy, who lives in Guatemala with his wife, Brenda, and has worked as a missionary for the last 26 years. In her younger days, Jean was in a band and played both guitar and banjo.

Jean has three grandchildren, Nate Purcell and his wife Kim, along with their children, Emery and Liam, who live in Michigan; Leah McKenzie and husband Dustin and son, Grayson, who live in Tampa Fla.; and Seth Purcell and his wife Joelle and their four sons, Oliver, twins Finn and Graham and Elliott, who live in Oldsmar, Fla.