Jewel (Brooks) Purdy
Cincinnati

Passed away peacefully on August 16, 2021 at the age of 84. Jewel was born in Black Mountain, North Carolina on July 27, 1937; the only child of Evelyn (nee Rardin) and Albert Brooks. At a very young age Jewel displayed an amazing musical ability, which led to her profession as an adult. Jewel's family relocated to Ohio where she would reside for the rest of her life. She graduated from Ross High School in 1954. Jewel received her Bachelor in Music from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music in 1958. In 1963 she married fellow musician Richard (Dick) Purdy. Jewel and Dick shared their love of music and travel until his death in 1999. Jewel taught piano, played a variety of instruments in a number of bands, and sang in various choruses, including Musica Sacra, throughout her musical career. Her longest tenure as a professional musician was the position of organist and choir director of St. Paul United Church of Christ in Groesbeck.
Throughout her adult life Jewel traveled the globe, including annual trips to her birthplace in the mountains of Western North Carolina. After an automobile accident in 2020 left her unable to live on her own, Jewel moved to the Wellington Senior Living Community in Monfort Heights. There she would entertain her fellow residents with impromptu daily concerts on one of the community's grand pianos. Jewel is survived by 3 step-children, many cousins, and a large circle of friends. Visitation 10 AM until time of Funeral Service 11 AM Saturday August 28th at Frederick Funeral Home, 2553 Banning Road, Cincinnati, OH 45239. Memorials may be made to the Musica Sacra Foundation, PO Box 43122, Cincinnati, OH 45243. Special condolences may be expressed at frederickfh.com