CHASE, ELIZABETH L. - The family of Elizabeth L. (Foster) Chase is heartbroken to share the news of her passing. Elizabeth died peacefully on April 27, 2012 after a courageous and well-fought battle with breast cancer. She was surrounded by those closest to her - her loving husband Derek Chase, her cherished daughter and son-in-law Megan and David Chipp, her adored granddaughter Elizabeth 'Libby' Chipp, and her beloved brother Bill Foster and his family. Her daughter, Megan, was the joy of her life. She often said that they grew up together. There has never been another mother who loved a child more that Elizabeth loved Megan. And her heart only grew fuller with love at the arrival of her granddaughter Libby in March of 2011. In addition to her family, Elizabeth's great passion was theatre and, in particular, the works of William Shakespeare. Elizabeth spent untold hours bringing his plays to life - she cared deeply about this pursuit and shared this passion with enthusiastic thespians, young and old. Elizabeth acted in, directed, and produced over 30 plays, including 21 productions of Shakespeare's canon. Some of her most acclaimed and personally meaningful roles included: Kate (The Taming of the Shrew), Milady de Winter (The Three Musketeers), Eliza Doolittle (My Fair Lady), Marquise de Merteuil (Dangerous Liaisons), and Cleopatra (Antony and Cleopatra). Elizabeth was a former member of the Board of Directors of the Imperial Theatre. She was a founding member of the Saint John Shakespeare Society and the Artistic Director of the Saint John Shakespeare Festival.
Elizabeth grew up and lived most of her life in Saint John, New Brunswick. She attended Barnhill Memorial School, Princess Elizabeth School, and Saint John High School before heading to Nova Scotia to study theatre at Dalhousie University. Elizabeth recently moved back to Nova Scotia with her husband Derek to be closer to her daughter's family. Elizabeth was beautiful, talented, passionate, tender, and loving. She contributed profound creativity and unabashed devotion to her many pursuits throughout her life. We miss her terribly, but she will always be with us.
A small family gathering will be held in Dartmouth, NS to celebrate Elizabeth's awesome life. Friends and family in Saint John, NB are encouraged to celebrate her life as well. Donations in her honour can be made to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Messages of condolence and remembrance can be sent to the family at captain_chase@hotmail.com.