Elizabeth Andrew's Obituary
Dr. Elizabeth M. Andrew, a Memphis pediatrician for 23 years, died at home on Monday, April 6th after a courageous battle with cancer. In addition to being a strong advocate for children and adolescents and their health and wellbeing, Beth was an avid gardener, maintaining plots at Shelby Farms in Memphis for many years as well as cultivating prolific home gardens. She was also a long-time member of the Memphis Symphony Chorus and an accomplished photographer, knitter and runner. Beth competed in road races across the country, completing numerous half and full marathons, including the Boston Marathon in 2006. Beth was born in New York City on December 6, 1950 and moved with her family to Easthampton, MA in 1953. She was a 1968 graduate of Northampton School for Girls and a 1972 graduate of Reed College in Portland, OR. Beth then moved to Cambridge, MA, where she met her lifelong companion, Thad Nowak, from Atchison, KS. Beth received a Master of Nutritional Science degree from Cornell University in 1977 and, after working for three years at the Tufts New England Medical Center, she entered New York University School of Medicine, receiving her Doctor of Medicine degree in 1984. After completing residency at the University of North Carolina’s Memorial Hospital, Beth practiced pediatrics in Silver Spring, MD before moving to Memphis in 1992. Here, she joined Memphis Children’s Clinic, where she continued to practice until shortly before her death. Beth is pre-deceased by her father, Dr. E. Donald Andrew of Easthampton, MA and survived by her mother, Dorothy H. Andrew of Northampton, MA. Besides Thad Nowak, of Memphis, she leaves six loving siblings and their spouses: Thomas A. Andrew and Katherine R. Bick of Pawtucket, RI; Susan L. Andrew and Leonard J. Cleary, Jr. of Dickinson, TX; Julia Andrew Emerson and Matthew C. Emerson of Amherst, MA; Douglas E. Andrew of Florence, MA; Bruce A. Andrew of Easthampton, MA; and Margaret E. Harris and John F. Harris of Kahului, HI. Beth is also the beloved aunt of seventeen nieces and nephews. She will also be sorely missed by her two wonderful cats, Diego and Mercedes. Memorial contributions in honor of Dr. Andrew may be directed to Youth Villages or Methodist Hospice.Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38119, “Behind the Stone Wall.”
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