Elizabeth Woolsey La Farge

Elizabeth Woolsey La Farge, 78, a precious member of her family and a valuable presence in her community, passed away peacefully on the afternoon of January 18, 2026, in her Quakertown, PA, residence in the company of her brother and his wife. Elizabeth was born on March 5, 1947, in Providence, RI, and named after her aunt, Elizabeth Davenport Woolsey of Trail Creek Ranch in Wilson, WY.

In Rhode Island, Elizabeth attended Lincoln School, St. Margaret’s School, and St. Xavier’s High School. She graduated from Bucks County Community College in Pennsylvania in 1976. Elizabeth was an athlete, and while in college, she was manager of the field hockey team and participated in tennis, swimming, archery, and golf. She also introduced the college to skiing and started a ski club.

She spent several summers at her aunt’s Trail Creek Ranch. In 1960 Elizabeth and her sister Sita were featured in a Sports Illustrated article about the ranch. Also in summers, she competed in tennis at the Madison Beach Club in Connecticut. Elizabeth also enjoyed three weeks of every summer at her family’s homestead on Tuckernuck Island, Nantucket, by swimming, exploring the island, and making blackberry and rose hip preserves.

Elizabeth had an impeccable memory for detail. She was full of wonderful stories, loved traveling domestically and internationally, and connecting with people wherever she was. Her generosity and compassion inspired many who knew her. She had a great love of art, which provided an important means of self-expression. Her spirit was strong and resilient, and she rose above many challenges she faced in her life. Elizabeth was much loved by family and friends.

Elizabeth was a direct descendent of seven original Mayflower passengers and of Benjamin Franklin. She was the great, great granddaughter of Yale President Theodore Dwight Woolsey and the great granddaughter of the American artist John La Farge.

She was predeceased by her parents, Professor Edward Hooper La Farge and Anne Woolsey La Farge, of Killingworth, CT, and a brother-in-law Peter William Culman of Baltimore, MD. She is survived by her six siblings: Natalie La Farge Goss, Anne La Farge Culman, Patricia La Farge Knopp, Edward T. La Farge, Margaret La Farge Pinsky, and Catherine La Farge England, as well as four brothers-in-law and one sister-in-law, twelve nieces and nephews, nine great nieces and nephews, and many cousins and friends.

Elizabeth’s family is very grateful to her caregivers: Sharon, Maggie, Sue, Terry, Saiid, Tina, Phyllis, Jenna, Cindy, James, Amy, Lorraine, and Judith. Together, they made Elizabeth’s last weeks comfortable.

A celebration of the life of Elizabeth Woolsey La Farge will be held on June 4, 2026, at 11 a.m. at Salve Regina University's Our Lady of Mercy Chapel, Newport, RI, to be followed by her burial at the family plot at St. Columba Catholic Cemetery in Middletown, RI.

In place of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Elizabeth’s memory to Quakertown House, 219 East Broad Street, Quakertown, PA 18951, for the Annual Beach Trip, or to Quakertown Center, 1020 South Main Street, Quakertown, PA 18951, for Resident Activities.