Elizabeth Houston Obituary

Elizabeth Williams Houston CHARLESTON - On Sunday, March 17, 2013 Elizabeth Williams Houston, known by friends and family as "Doots", died peacefully in Charleston, SC. Born January 16, 1914 in Greenville, S.C., to Caroline Irvinia Hill and John Hopkins Williams, she was predeceased by her husband of 47 years, Robert Emmett Houston, Jr. and infant son, Robert Emmett Houston III, and her brothers John H. Williams Jr. and William H. Williams. Mrs. Houston is survived by her two daughters, Caroline Houston McMillan and husband J. Alex McMillan, III, of Charleston, SC, and Harriet Houston Shaffer and husband Charles M. Shaffer, Jr. of Atlanta, GA. She is survived by five grandchildren, Elizabeth M. Hagood and husband Maybank of Charleston, SC, John A. McMillan, IV and wife Betsy of Mt. Pleasant, SC, Charles M. Shaffer, III and wife Karen, of Greenwich, CT, Caroline S. Vroon and husband Bryan of Atlanta and Harriet "Emi" S. Gragnani and husband Michael of Atlanta and 16 great-grandchildren. She attended Converse College and graduated from Florida St. University. She moved to New York to enter the graduate program in journalism at Columbia University. There she met her husband and they were married in 1937 in Christ Episcopal Church in Greenville, South Carolina where generations of their families have been married. They lived in New York where he was a lawyer with Sullivan and Cromwell. In 1942 they moved to Providence, Rhode Island where he was an officer in the US Navy until 1945. Due to his serious illness, they returned to Greenville where she continued to help him with his recovery. She was a columnist for the Greenville News, writing a column "Inside Greenville" from 1949-1951. In 1951 she joined the Liberty Life Insurance Company where she was a successful life underwriter for 35 years. She was a member of the Greenville Junior League, the Quadrille, the Assembly, the Thursday Club and the Greenville Debutante Club. She was a Board member of the Greenville Little Theatre and a member of the Collectors Group of the Greenville Museum. She was also a member of the Poinsett Club, the Greenville Country Club and Green Valley Country Club where she was president of the Ladies Golf Association. A lover of fly fishing, she traveled for many years with her friends Lloyd Beattie and Edie Hays to fish the streams of Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and New Mexico. She loved the outdoors, hiking, fishing, hunting and swimming. A multi-talented, inspirational Renaissance lady, she was also an artist, a writer, an accomplished pianist and avid golfer. She loved to entertain her many friends and they loved being with her because she was such good company. Most of all she was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was adored by all of her family and friends. There will be a memorial service at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 in the Chapel of Bishop Gadsden Retirement Center where she lived for the past 9 years. The funeral and burial will be at 2:00 Friday, March 22 at Christ Church Episcopal in Greenville, SC. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Bishop Gadsden Resident Assistance Fund, 1 Bishop Gadsden Way, Charleston, S.C. 29412 or to Christ Church Episcopal at 10 North Church Street, Greenville, S.C. 29601, or to a charity of your choice. The Mackey Mortuary, Greenville, SC. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston