• Elizabeth Colman

Elizabeth Arlene Colman, age 77, passed away on May 26 peacefully surrounded by family and the emerging flowers of spring in Vermont.

Born in June of 1942, Betty lived much of her life in Los Angeles, where she attended Dorsey High School and graduated from University of Southern California. A proud Tri-Delt and member of Phi Beta Kappa, she enjoyed a memorable tour of Asia after college, spending a particular amount of time in Japan, where she exercised her knowledge of the language and culture. It was this interest and familiarity with Japan that provided immediate kinship with her future husband, Harvey Colman, who had also spent time there.

Together, Betty and Harvey had three children, who were raised in Pacific Palisades, Calif., and North Oaks, Minn. Following retirement, Betty and Harvey moved to Orr’s Island, Maine, where they spent many happy years exploring the Maine coast and enjoying their home and expansive gardens. Later, they settled in Shelburne, Vt., where they were closer to family.

Throughout her life, Betty was active in her community, church and local schools, generously contributing her energy and passion for teaching and learning to all she met. She will be remembered by many for her broad knowledge of plants, a love she inherited from her parents and passed down to her children.

Elizabeth is preceded in death by her husband and survived by her brother and his wife: Robert and Susan Knox; her three children and their spouses: Erin and Thomas Lamb, Shauna and Oliver Sanidas, and Jennifer and Devin Colman; and grandchildren Matthew Lamb, Luke Sanidas, Thomas Colman, Katherine Lamb, Ella Sanidas and Lucille Colman.

Betty will join Harvey in the House of Hope Memorial Garden in St. Paul, Minn. Donations may be made to Shelburne Museum in her memory.