Elizabeth Ann LePera passed away due to an aneurysm on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, surrounded by loved ones.
She was born on March 13, 1936, in Springfield, Ohio, to parents David Carl and Etta Potts. She had three siblings, Byron, Phyllis, and Nancy.
Liz attended high school at Springfield High School in Ohio, where she was a cheerleader and homecoming queen. Education continued to be an important part of her life, and she always seemed to be reading about something new.
While Liz was working at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Fairborn, Ohio, she met her husband, Alex, at a dance. He kept asking her to dance and wouldn’t stop asking until she finally said yes. Little did she know, that dance began the dance of a lifetime of happiness and love.
Liz was blessed by the gift of gratitude for everything in her life and had a deep appreciation of the things most of us take for granted. She was the one who taught us to appreciate the simple, beautiful things of life—the beauty of a September sky, the sparkle of the new-fallen snow, the sweet little goldfinches that loved to visit her yard.
She was deeply patriotic and proud of her country and was known for giving out miniature copies of the Constitution—whether you wanted one or not. Liz was proud of her membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution, and was a devout Catholic and member of Our Lady of the Mountains Parish in North Conway.
Liz had two businesses in her life which brought her much satisfaction—My Favorite Things gift shop and ceramic studio in Urbana, Ohio, and Liz Realty in Gorham, New Hampshire. Some of her clients and coworkers became her lifelong friends. She was talented and creative and made beautiful quilts, ceramics, and knitted items, and was unbeatable in the kitchen. Her homemade green apple pie and rolls were worthy of blue ribbons at any county fair.
Her love for children and animals was more than evident in her famous Facebook posts and the way children and animals always seemed to gravitate to her.
Because she was the embodiment of Love.
When she passed so suddenly, it seems she wanted to make sure that we knew without a doubt that we were loved. In the middle of her CAT scan image was a miraculous, perfect heart. The doctors said they had never seen that before in 37 years of service.
Fond memories of her include her famous Fourth of July parties, summer mornings, coffee, and conversation on the porch and how she would always listen to you with her full attention. And of course, Christmas Eve—her favorite time—full of the magic of love and life. She made it special for all of us...making everyone's favorite cookies, filling stockings with special gifts, tangerines, and nuts, sleigh rides, and the never-ending cycle of Christmas movies and tissues when the corny things made us cry. Mom, we feel ripped off that you left in your favorite time of the year, and none of us feel much like celebrating...but even in our sadness, we can all feel your joyous spirit circling the house, spreading your Christmas magic and love.
Mom, we will miss you more than words can ever say.
She is survived by her husband, Alex; her son, Robert and wife, Julie; her daughter, Nikki; her grandchildren, Brittany and husband, Adam, Bobby, Kim, and David and his fiancée, Janie; her great-grandchildren, Grayson and Greer; her brother, Byron; her sister, Nancy; and numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, cousins, and friends.
She is predeceased by her parents; her mother-in-law, Julia and husband, Eugene; and
her sister, Phyllis.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to one of her favorite charities: Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, www.stjude.org/donate; or Make-A-Wish America, Gift Processing, 1702 East Highland Ave., Suite 400 Phoenix, AZ 85016, www.wish.org/donate.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Holy Family Church in Gorham on Monday, December 10, 2018 at 10 a.m., with a private burial after the service. Arrangements are entrusted to the Bryant Funeral Homes, Berlin and Gorham, NH.