Elizabeth E. Whittemore (Liz) died peacefully on Sunday, April 19, 2015 at Marlborough Hospital in Marlborough, Massachusetts following a decline from pneumonia. She was 92. Liz Whittemore was born on August 18, 1922, in East Orange, New Jersey, the daughter of Edgar Albert Eschmann and Mildred May (O’Brien) Eschmann. She was married to the Very Reverend H. Lawrence Whittemore, Jr. (Larry).

She grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey and New York City, and attended Saint Mary’s School for Girls in Peekskill, NY. She worked as a medical secretary at New York Hospital prior to her marriage to Larry in 1951. Thus began a lifelong partnership raising children, building friendships and serving the communities where they lived: Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts; and Landgrove, Middlebury, and Manchester, Vermont. Most recently, she resided at Whitney Place in Northborough, Massachusetts.

Liz died a bit over 4 years after Larry’s death. She was very well cared for by the staff at Whitney Place, where she lived independently and, later, in a memory care unit. She was plucky to the very end of her life, and maintained great poise and dignity, despite struggles with Alzheimer’s. Liz, indeed a bit of a character, possessed a wonderful – sometimes zany and always playful – sense of humor and a very quick wit. She had a strong sense of family with whom she loved to celebrate birthdays (it pays to advertise!) and all the holidays. Liz was the family genealogist and also a gifted artist, especially in needlepoint and decoupage. She loved to cook and especially enjoyed making rambunctious treats with her grandchildren.

She is survived by her two children – Elizabeth B. (Lisa) Whittemore and her spouse, Cynthia Esthimer, of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Henry L. Whittemore and his wife, Darcy, of Readfield, Maine, by two grandchildren, Katherine P. Whittemore of Portland, Maine and Samuel T. Whittemore of Los Angeles, California, and by her brother-in-law Charles P. Whittemore and his wife, Cecile Brown Whittemore, of Salisbury, Connecticut. She has numerous first cousins on the O’Brien side of her family.

Liz’s children would like to express gratitude to friends and relatives and to the staff of Whitney Place for the love and support they gave them and their mother.

A celebration of her life will be held at the Landgrove Community Church in Landgrove, Vermont on Tuesday, August 4, 2015 at 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Episcopal Relief & Development, 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017 – www.er-d.org or to: Second Chance Animal Shelter, Shaftsbury, Vermont – http://www.2ndchanceanimalcenter.org/dogs.html.