Mary Louise Pursell
Mary Louise (Philbin) Pursell was born on October 11, 1928. Her life was marked by service to others-family, church and community. She grew up and lived her whole life within a 10 mile radius, but influenced many in that small area. Mary Lou was a member of the New Haven's Women's Club, Notre Dame Mother's Club and St. Aedan's School Board, for many years. She was a staunch believer that education could improve one's lot in life. She was active with alumni activities at both her high school (Hillhouse, class of '46; one of her favorite monikers "First in war-First in peace") as well as college (St. Joseph's College, West Hartford BS nursing, class of '50). She also earned a master's degree in public health from SCSU. She worked five years for the VNA of New Haven and 25 years as supervisor of nursing services for the West Haven Board of Education, retiring in 1995.
Although these endeavors and hobbies were significant, she was most proud of the family that she and her husband, William Pursell, raised. She raised 7 wonderful children and 17 grandchildren. Mary Lou valued connection. She constantly brought together family, friends, and neighbors and made everyone feel important. Her nursing career was no different. Each patient of hers was treated like they were family with the utmost respect and care.
We are eternally grateful for the values she instilled in us and will attempt to be true to her legacy by the passing of those ideals to those around us.
About the ScholarshipThe Mary Lou Pursell Scholarship Fund
In 2010, we established the Mary Lou Pursell (MLP) Scholarship Fund in memory of a very special woman whose life was defined by compassion, generosity, and a genuine commitment to helping others.
Wanting to honor Mary Lou’s legacy while continuing the work she cared so deeply about, we held our first fundraiser—a family 5K Fun Run. That event quickly inspired us to create a lasting way to make a difference in her name. From 2010 through 2022, the MLP Scholarship Fund providing scholarships to deserving local Hillhouse students who shared Mary Lou’s passion for helping others, with a particular focus on students pursuing careers in nursing.
As the need for nurses continued to grow and the cost of higher education increased, we evolved our scholarship program over the last few years to support currently enrolled nursing students at the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford, Mary Lou’s alma mater. Today, our goal is to provide these students with meaningful financial assistance, as well as encouragement and support as they work toward their nursing degrees and their own careers of caring for others.
Mary Lou believed in making every person feel welcome, valued, and important. Through this scholarship, we hope to help nurture the next generation of nurses who embody those same qualities and carry forward her spirit of compassion and service.
The MLP Scholarship Fund is our way of keeping Mary Lou’s memory alive while investing in students who share her passion for helping others. By supporting nursing students, we honor her legacy and help strengthen a profession that makes an immeasurable difference in the lives of individuals and families every day.
Over the years, our fundraising efforts have grown to include family fun runs, Bowl-a-thons, as well as participating in Traveler’s Birdies for Charities and New Haven’s Great Give Program. Each event brings family, friends, and our community together for a common purpose: raising funds for the greater good while celebrating and remembering a remarkable woman whose legacy continues to inspire us.
Together, we are keeping Mary Lou’s spirit of compassion alive—one student, one nurse, and one act of kindness at a time.
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