Beloved wife and mother Elizabeth Rivers, aged 55, passed away Saturday, March 13 at Wilmington Hospital after a heroic months-long battle with lung cancer.
Born Elizabeth Robinson on June 14, 1965 in Newark, Delaware, she was the youngest of six children of Dick and Addie Robinson. As a young girl growing up along White Clay Creek, Elizabeth developed a deep love for natural wonder and wildlife. At the University of Delaware she met her husband Bill, and the two were married in Wilmington on June 6, 1987. Elizabeth chose to become a homemaker and mother to their five children, to whom she imparted a deep devotion to her adopted Catholic faith and a love for animals and the outdoors.
Elizabeth is survived by her husband Bill; sons Bill (Mary) Rivers of Alexandria, Virginia and Casey (Kathlyn) Rivers of Wilmington; daughters Mary, Glennamarie, and Bridgette Rivers of Wilmington; and two grandchildren William Rivers IV and Angela Marie Rivers. She is also survived by her brothers Rodney (Sue) Robinson of Wilmington, Delaware and Richard (Barbara McGrath) Robinson of Wallingford, Pennsylvania; and sisters Susan (Robin) Russo of Milford, Delaware, and Kay (Eric) Beers of Blacksburg, Virginia. Her beloved brother Howard (Katja) Robinson passed away in 2015.
Elizabeth will be remembered as a loving, imaginative wife and mother, who shared her unfailing good humor and adventurous spirit with friends and family, whether at home in Wilmington or along the Appalachian Trail. True to her Scotch-Irish roots, she loved a good story, from the Lord of the Rings to fireside family tales, to classic American films. Her artistic talent found expression in the many dollhouses and rosaries she painstakingly crafted; the latter can be found at Angel’s Crossing in Elsmere. She shared her natural gift for hospitality as assistant innkeeper at the Fairville Inn in Chadds Ford, from 2016 to 2019. Earnest and kind, Elizabeth especially loved children and babies, but everyone was made to feel welcome at her home. Her family thanks the nurses, aides, and doctors who cared for Elizabeth in her final months and the army of friends and family who supported her with countless expressions of love.
A wake will be held from 6:00-8:00 PM on Monday March 22, 2021 at McCrery and Harra Funeral Home, 3710 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington, DE 19808. Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, March 23rd at St. Elizabeth’s Church, 809 South Broom Street, Wilmington, DE 19805. Burial will follow in All Saints Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to her favorite charity the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, 8735 Colesville Road, Suite 400, Silver Springs, MD 20910-4487. To send condolences visit: www.mccreryandharra.com.
