Ethel Mae DeBolt Curry, “Tizzie,” 97, of Morgantown, passed away on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, at her home.
Ethel Mae, the daughter of the late Lewis Oscar and Pearl Mae (Pipes) DeBolt, was born in Middlebourne, on June 27, 1922.
Growing up, Ethel Mae was active as a 4-H All-Star and was chief of the Marion County “4-H Cherokee Tribe.” In eighth grade, she received the WV Golden Horseshoe Award as the highest scoring female in Marion County on the West Virginia state history exam, an honor she was delighted to share decades later with her granddaughter, Megan, when she became a Golden Horseshoe Award recipient.
Ethel Mae was president of the WVU chapter of Alpha Phi Sorority where she was known as Tizzie. It was there that she met her future husband as he waited tables at the sorority house. She graduated in 1944 with a degree in home economics and a minor in science. On June 18, 1944, she married her waiter, George Alexander Curry.
Tizzie taught science, biology and English at Chesterfield County High School in Virginia before moving to Morgantown where she became active in organizations related to her husband’s medical career. She was a member and past president of the Monongalia Hospital Auxiliary and the West Virginia State Hospital Auxiliary. She served as a board member and vice chair of the American Hospital Association Council of Volunteers. She was also a member of the Friends of WVU Hospital, an elder and deacon of the First Presbyterian Church, a sustaining member of the Delphian Book Club, a Life member of Morgantown Service League, a volunteer for her four childrens’ schools, United Way and other community organizations.
Tizzie and George built their family home on Cheat Lake in 1969. Tizzie had many special friends. Among them is Helen Basile, whom she had known since her eighth birthday. To Tizzie, everyone was a friend.
Ethel Curry was preceded in death by her husband of 70 years, George Alexander Curry, M.D., 94, in 2014. She is survived by her children: George Alexander Curry II, M.D. and his wife, Elisa, Catherine Curry Samuel and her husband, David, Carol Curry Rushford and her husband, Bradley, Christopher DeBolt Curry and his wife, Diana; grandchildren: Jennifer Francis, Annabel Alvarez and her husband Rodolfo, Kimberly Jensen, Candace Thomas and her husband Simon, Justin Rushford, Megan Rushford, Lauren Curry, MacKenzie Curry; and great-granddaughter, Reese Alkire. She is also survived by many wonderful nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by all of her siblings: Harold DeBolt, Kathryn Woodburn, Hilda Luton and Eloise O’Dell.
In accordance with her wishes, cremation services will be provided by Hastings Funeral Home, Omega Crematory.
Visitation will be at the First Presbyterian Church, 456 Spruce St., Morgantown, at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, until the 2 p.m. memorial service, with the Rev. Zac Morton officiating.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ethel Curry’s memory to the George and Ethel Curry Medical Scholarship fund at WVU Foundation, P.O. Box 1650, Morgantown, WV 26507-1650, the Foundation of Mon Health Medical Center, 1200 J.D. Anderson Drive, Morgantown, WV 26506, and/or the First Presbyterian Church of Morgantown, 456 Spruce St., Morgantown, WV 26505.
Condolences:
www.hastingsfuneralhome.com
