Cover photo for Barbara Bruchhaus Purdy Carpenter's Obituary
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Barbara Bruchhaus Purdy Carpenter

June 27, 1936 — May 29, 2019

Barbara Bruchhaus Purdy Carpenter

Barbara Bruchhaus Purdy Carpenter passed away in her home May 29, 2019, in Shreveport, LA, following a brief battle with gallbladder cancer. She was 82 years old. Barbara was born, the seventh of eight children, June 27, 1936, in Jennings, LA, to Otto and Addie Bruchhaus. She attended Louisiana State University, was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and was named an LSU Beauty in the Gumbo, LSU\'s yearbook. In 1957 she graduated LSU with a Bachelor\'s Degree in Education. She married Kenneth Purdy in 1956, and she was the very proud mother of three daughters, Kim, Karen, and Kris. Barbara lived in Baton Rouge, and she taught at Woodlawn High School until the family moved to Shreveport in 1970. In Shreveport, Barbara taught physical education and business classes at Valencia Junior High School, while simultaneously working on her Master\'s Degree in Education. She then moved into special education where she worked at Arthur Circle Elementary School and the Special Education Department of Caddo Parish Schools. She retired in 1991 as a facilitator of Special Education; she went on to work briefly as a technology instructor with IBM. Additionally, Barbara took care of her husband, Ken, who lost a long fight with Alzheimer\'s Disease in April 2005. After the death of her husband, Barbara and Harry Carpenter, a friend from college, reestablished an old friendship. Barbara and Harry fell in love, married, and had many happy years together as they traveled around the continent. Barbara was a lifelong learner of any knowledge she could acquire, and she shared that knowledge with others throughout her life. Whether it was learning new recipes, knitting patterns, water coloring, or technology tips, Barbara drank it all in. Barbara is survived by her husband, Harry Carpenter; daughters and sons-in-law, Kim and Ralph Thomas of Dallas, TX; Karen Purdy of Shreveport, LA; and Kris and Marcus Clements of Shreveport, LA; her stepchildren Theresa Carpenter of Pascagoula, MS; and Michael Carpenter of Orlando, FL; her sisters, Nell Middleton of Warsaw, NC; Beverly Walker of Bumpus Mills, TN; and Patricia Fant, of Spotsylvania, VA. She is preceded in death by her first husband, Kenneth; her brothers, Donald Bruchhaus, Otto Bruchhaus, Jr., William Bruchhaus; her sister, Geraldine Marsh; and her stepson Richard Carpenter. Barbara became registered with the LSU Willed Body Program in 1997, and it was her wish that she be able to continue to teach beyond her death. A visitation will take place on June 15, 2019, 3:00 pm at Rose Neath Funeral Home, 1815 Marshall St. in Shreveport, followed by a memorial service at 4:00 pm. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Barbara\'s life. In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Jude Children\'s Research Hospital are greatly appreciated. The family would like to thank Staci Hamilton and staff of Southern Care Hospice, LaShunda Knowles, and staff of Home Instead, and Carolyn Boyce for their gracious and kind care of Barbara. Montrel Bolden receives great appreciation for making Barbara\'s bedside view a glorious one.
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