She was my baby sister, the youngest in our family of six siblings and a very sweet child. So much so, that when my childhood pal Karin and I were teens and we would be up north, if I tried to ditch Elizabeth and little brother Chuck so we could do our own things, Karin insisted they tag along because they were such nice kids. Elizabeth was by nature a kind person, often the first to offer help to anyone. Those who knew her respected her and enjoyed her robust sense of humor. I can easily remember the sound of her laughter when something really funny struck her. She was also a great gift giver---a master of finding the unusual or odd and yes, funny gifts. She was six when she tried to steal my boyfriend (and now husband of 49 years). It was Christmas season and he was home on leave. Elizabeth and our mom were baking cookies on a day Jon came by the house in his uniform to see me. She was quite smitten, offering a chocolate chip cookie to him if she could sit on his lap! A few years later she was the flower girl in our wedding, paired with Jon’s nephew Scott, who was the ring bearer. I still recall the perplexed look on her face when Jon’s father suggested after the ceremony that she and Scott were married now too. Our lives overlapped as we both had children and when she and Rick entrusted little Jake’s daycare to me for a period when she continued working, we gained more shared life memories. Our sister Christie lived very close by for many years and Elizabeth often mentioned how much she cherished being able to just walk over to her house to spend time with her. Elizabeth liked fresh flowers, the colors lavender and purple and as an avid reader, always had a book nearby. “You left me before I was ready to say goodbye, As time will pass, I know that I, will still wonder why. It seemed like there was so much time ahead, Now when I look for you, I see an empty place instead. You are in a hundred parts and pieces of my life. I wish I could see you, just once more, just once more, Oh just one more time. But would that make the parting any easier? “ Julianne Hargreaves January 14, 2019