Elizabeth Lancaster Carsey, 99 years of age, died in Colorado Springs, CO on April 12, 2009.
Funeral to be held at 1 pm, Friday, April 17th at Trinity Heights Methodist Church.
She was born in Camaguey, Cuba to missionary parents on July 8, 1909. She spent many of her young years in Mexico as her parents ministered and taught at missionary schools. They were teaching in Chilhuahua, Mexico during the Mexican Revolution and were ordered to leave Mexico because of attacks from Poncho Villa’s forces. Her younger sister was born on the last train to leave Chiluahua that took Americans to safety.
The family returned to ministry in Mexico later. Her mother died when Elizabeth was 9 years old in Chiluahua, Mexico. She was the first of five children. They later lived in West Texas and New Mexico where she graduated from high school in Roswell, NM. She attended DePaul University in Green Castle, Indiana where she received her bachelor’s degree in teaching, majoring in English and music.
She married William Arnold Carsey in January 1938, and they were teachers in El Paso, TX and Seminole, TX also teaching in Arizona in Many Farms and Chinle.
They retired in 1975 to Flagstaff, AZ where Elizabeth became known as the Smokerise neighborhood “Grandma” and taught countless children piano.
Elizabeth spent many years as the volunteer in charge of the Flagstaff Blood Drive calling list, played piano and organ for weddings and churches including the Mexican Methodist Church. She taught English as a second language in the Flagstaff community. She was beloved by her family, friends and neighbors, and residents in Flagstaff until 2006 when she moved to Colorado Springs to share lodging with her sister. She has been a long-time member of the Trinity Heights Methodist Church.
Surviving Elizabeth are her sister Mary Jo Bennett of Colorado Springs, a brother, Jonathan Lancaster of Austin, TX, sons Weldon Alan (Dixie) of Flagstaff, Frank D. (Susan) of Bremerton, WA, Norman (Jean) of Las Cruces, NM, and Thomas (Jenny) of Miami, FL, 16 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
Preceding her in death are her husband, William Arnold Carsey, brother Jamie Lancaster and sister Diantha Gates.
