Elizabeth “Liz” Maalamaa—she took back her maiden name when she became a widow—has passed away at a respectable age; after a brief illness, quietly “fallen asleep,” literally, died in her sleep. A peaceful passing, the best you can think of, in her Portuguese winter home. And avoided being alone at the end. Her nephew Tom Maalamaa and his fiancée happened to be visiting, and after her death they took care of all the practical details. All papers, documents and, naturally, the repatriation of her remains to the homeland and the funeral in the little city her husband was originally from and had, for some time now, been resting in a spacious family plot where, during his lifetime, a spot had been reserved for his wife. The whole family, in the church, and at the reception afterward. Relatives and a large circle of acquaintances and friends and surviving relatives of the many old and sick whom Elizabeth “Liz” Maalamaa, during her career within the deaconry, had cared for with a big heart and tireless effort.
