Elisabeth (Steiner) Hawthorne

Elisabeth "Liz" Hawthorne, passed away peacefully at her Healdsburg home on April 4, 2024. In her last days, she was cared for by daughters Martha and Anne Hawthorne, son-in-laws Bill Foss and Sergey Ryazantsev, and close family friend, Piedad Reyes.

Family and friends were important to Liz, and she enjoyed frequent visits. In November, grandson Ben with wife Shauna and children Sierra and Scarlett visited as Liz recuperated from a broken leg. At Christmas, grandson Danny came from Michigan to introduce his partner Emily to Liz and the family domino game. The family celebrated Christmas with a raclette dinner in the garden of Arbol Skilled Nursing. Grandson Alex Foss, wife Nona and great grandchildren Timo and Lissa performed in February for Liz and residents of Healdsburg Senior Living. In February, grandson Nick visited with the newest great-grand, Max, and his mom, Jennifer. In March, granddaughter Julia took Liz for a walk in Armstrong Redwoods with husband Brian and son Atticus. She had frequent visits from nephew Andrew, and a long visit with granddaughter Kati and her daughter Layla in 2022. Daughter-in-law Regine Hawthorne spent a week with Liz in March, going on walks, sharing meals and memories.

Liz was born May 22,1927. Her parents, Martha Rohr and Charles Steiner immigrated from Switzerland, married in 1920, and raised four children on a dairy farm in Santa Monica. Liz was proud of her Swiss heritage, loved Swiss cheese, Swiss cookies, visiting Switzerland, and welcoming Swiss cousins to California.

Liz married Robert Gray Hawthorne in 1951, whose family used to buy milk from the Steiner dairy. They lived for short periods in Ventura and Wyoming, before settling in a home they built in Yorba Linda. Thirty years ago when Bob retired, they moved to Healdsburg, strategically located midway between Martha in San Francisco and Wayne in Crescent City. They loved spending time in Crescent City and bought a second home there. Their son Wayne's tragic death in 2003 was a terrible blow. They were grateful to all the people there who embraced them during the difficult times that followed, and Liz dreamed of one last trip to Crescent City.

Bob and Liz were a great team. In Yorba Linda, Liz encouraged Bob to serve on the school board, and later the Fullerton College board. After years of living in Orange County, they retired in Healdsburg where for the first time in their lives, people they voted for could win office. They were active members of the League of Women Voters, HARC, the Healdsburg Peace Project, and the 13-year long weekly Anti War vigil at Healdsburg Plaza. Bob was a proud member of Veterans for Peace. The causes they supported included affordable housing, immigrant and civil rights, women's rights, educational equity, union organizing, and all matters of peace and justice.

But they were not all business. They hiked, sailed, canoeed, and gardened. Liz loved to cook and sew. They LOVED spending time with grandchildren. They went on a canal trip in England, sailed in Fiji, and went all the way to Nome, Alaska to see Martha perform with the Stairwell Sisters. They loved Fox Pond, Fitch Mountain, and Armstrong Redwoods.

Bob and Liz supported their musical children and grandchildren in numerous ways. They attended school and professional concerts, arranged house concerts, and contributed money to their musical education. They went so far as to find pianos for grandson Alex to practice on whenever he visited them – including in a church on Kauai where the family celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

After Bob died in 2010, Liz kept busy with water aerobics, dominos, and traveling to see family. She could often be seen at the Saturday farmers market and the peace vigil at the plaza. She supported the Sonoma County Food Bank, Russian Riverkeeper, Planned Parenthood, ACLU, American Friends Service Committee, PBS and NPR, and many progressive candidates for office – locally and nationally.

Liz had many wonderful friends in Healdsburg. She had her domino group, most recently with Sylvia, Heidi, Joyce, Don, Betsy, and Babe, and before that, Jane, Doris, Gloria, and others. Paula was her weekly Trader Joe's connection, and Joachim brought her gruyere cheese from Costco. Neighbors Dave, Diane, Dan, Amy, Steve, and Maureen helped with many odd jobs around the house, visited frequently, and kept her sharp on current events.

In the last six months, Liz was cared for by many kind caregivers at Memorial and Healdsburg hospitals, Arbol Skilled Nursing, and especially Healdsburg Senior Living. The family is especially grateful for Piedad Reyes, who lived with and cared for Liz for the last five years.

Liz and Bob were loved by their extended family, and many friends. We would like to recognize them all, including cousins, colleagues, and others. So many, we cannot name them all here. But we know Liz and Bob valued every single one, and that all of us will miss them.

Donations may be made in Liz' memory to any of the organizations listed above, or the following recent causes she supported: https://www.unrwausa.org/ United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, and Fitch Mountain Fund, a component fund of Community Foundation of Sonoma County at www.sonomacf.org.

Above all, Liz and Bob would be most satisfied if everyone they knew were to follow their example and participate in acts of civic engagement through voting, advocacy, or running for office; by enjoying and preserving wild spaces and stopping the worst effects of climate change; and by taking peacefully to the streets when necessary.

Note: When Bob died, the family didn't print a memorial. He was born on September 19, 1923, and passed away on November 26, 2010. He was very much loved, and we wanted to include him here with Liz. They were a great couple together and on their own.

Published in Healdsburg Tribune · April 30, 2024