Elizabeth Carolyn (Vaughan) Pritchett's Obituary
Elizabeth Pritchett, beloved sister, mother, grandmother, and teacher, passed away September 23, 2014, at the age of 88. Elizabeth was born October 9, 1925, on the Nottoway County, Virginia, dairy farm of her parents Holmes Arthur Vaughan and Sarah Frances Carr. Betsy, as she was then known, graduated from Mary Washington College in 1946 and began teaching Home Economics at Amelia Court House High School. Betsy married William McCaddin Pritchett in 1948 and they soon drove to Dallas, Texas, where they reared four children. In 1965 with the youngest child in school, Elizabeth, as she now preferred to be called, began substitute teaching in Richardson ISD and two years later began teaching English and Home Ec. at Lake Highlands High School where her children would attend. She received a Masters in Home Ec. from Texas Woman’s University in Denton in 1968. Elizabeth retired from teaching in 1988, and later tutored many students at White Rock Elementary School, RISD. After her divorce from “Mac,” Elizabeth was briefly married to Al Acker. Both ex-husbands are deceased. For many years she belonged to Central Christian Church and was a member of Dallas Banker’s Wives and White Rock Garden Club. Elizabeth devoted many years to figure skating, practicing about 16 hours each week. A Dallas Morning News article from 1976 entitled “Teacher finds new life on ice rink” shows her breezing along in one of many beautiful skating outfits she made herself. Elizabeth was quoted as saying, “We all take for granted that when a woman gets older that her body is just going to stoop over and allow itself to go with gravity. I believe we can combat that with exercise and eating right.” The story conveyed that age 50 was not too old to take up a new challenge in life. While taking ballroom dancing lessons in 1988, Elizabeth met Doug Fielder-White (5/17/1920 – 10/18/2012) and they enjoyed dancing and going to a fitness center almost daily. Elizabeth and Doug were together until Elizabeth moved to Parson’s House Preston Hollow in 2010. Elizabeth will be remembered as an outgoing, energetic lady, active in ice skating, dancing, competitive running, gardening and actively working in her neighborhood for beautification. She was a prolific seamstress in home decorating as well as clothing design and construction. We remember her for grace, elegance, dedication to motherhood, and her teaching ability. A few years ago Elizabeth wrote, “I am proud of being the kind of person I am. I get up each day liking myself. I try to get along with others without losing my being. I know that I can better myself, and I pray that I will strive for that. I’d like to keep healthy and live a long good life. I will always do whatever I can feel right about doing for others. I hope the future will be a place where you can realize your dreams and be loved and accepted. I love my family, friends and those that I know and with whom I am in touch. I love God! I love beauty, order, harmony, life, happiness, cleanliness, good smells, smiles, laughs, good conversation, goodness, fairness and all positive things of life.” Elizabeth is survived by sisters Frances Garland and Lucy Reddick, of Virginia. Sons John, Dan, and Tom Pritchett of Dallas; daughter Beth Bordelon, her husband Malcolm, and their children Emily and Jackson Bordelon, of San Jose, Ca.; and many nieces and nephews. The family offers special thanks to the staff of Parson’s House Preston Hollow for their kind care during Elizabeth’s last 4 years. Funeral Service for Elizabeth Pritchett will take place at 11:00 am on Saturday, October 25, 2014 at The Memorial Chapel at Restland Funeral Home. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, at Restland Road, Dallas, TX 75238 In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research at www.alzinfo.org/donate.
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