Obituary for Elizabeth Brown Ensor (Thomson)
ENSOR, ELIZABETH BROWN (Betty)
Born January 14, 1927 in Glasgow, Scotland
Died November 23, 2019 in Belmont, Michigan
Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
Betty was born in Glasgow, Scotland to James and Elizabeth Brown Thomson. While her parents were becoming established in the U.S., she spent most of her youth living in Scotland with her beloved “Nanny,” her grandmother Catherine MacLachlan Brown. Betty’s skill and ingenuity in solving problems of all kinds were grounded in her mantra, “What would Nanny do?”
Betty immigrated to the U.S. in the height of World War II, on the last military convoy that evacuated civilians from the British Isles. She excelled academically, graduated from high school at age 16, and attended business school, often tutoring her older classmates in shorthand and bookkeeping. Betty lived with her parents in Hamilton, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia before settling in Detroit, where she met and, on August 14, 1948, married the love of her life, Ronald Ensor.
Betty worked as an administrative assistant at a large insurance company in Detroit before starting a family. She then turned her formidable skills to running her household. Betty’s many talents included gardening, handicrafts of all kinds, and writing poetry. Her greatest gift was her genuine interest in, and compassion for, other people. She doted on her family and friends with unconditional love, kindness, and generosity; as one friend put it, “She made me feel like what I did mattered, and also like I was enough no matter what I did.” Betty was deeply
loved by everyone whose lives she touched.
Betty is survived by her son Douglas (Joy Wolfe) Ensor and daughter Debra Martin; grandchildren Sarah (Ingrid Diran) Ensor, Will (Katie) McConnell, Tim (Melissa) McConnell, and Hannah (Aisha Sabatini Sloan) Ensor; and great-grandchildren Taylor, Crystianna, Brayden and Sullivan McConnell and Lily and Beau Taylor. She was preceded in death by her parents, infant grandson Daniel Ensor, sister Cathie Falin, son-in-law Randy Howard, and her beloved Ron.
Burial has taken place. A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Emmanuel Hospice, the University of Michigan LSA Emergency Scholarship Fund at https://leadersandbest.umich.edu/find/#!/give/basket/fund/314649, or the charity of your choice.
Born January 14, 1927 in Glasgow, Scotland
Died November 23, 2019 in Belmont, Michigan
Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
Betty was born in Glasgow, Scotland to James and Elizabeth Brown Thomson. While her parents were becoming established in the U.S., she spent most of her youth living in Scotland with her beloved “Nanny,” her grandmother Catherine MacLachlan Brown. Betty’s skill and ingenuity in solving problems of all kinds were grounded in her mantra, “What would Nanny do?”
Betty immigrated to the U.S. in the height of World War II, on the last military convoy that evacuated civilians from the British Isles. She excelled academically, graduated from high school at age 16, and attended business school, often tutoring her older classmates in shorthand and bookkeeping. Betty lived with her parents in Hamilton, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia before settling in Detroit, where she met and, on August 14, 1948, married the love of her life, Ronald Ensor.
Betty worked as an administrative assistant at a large insurance company in Detroit before starting a family. She then turned her formidable skills to running her household. Betty’s many talents included gardening, handicrafts of all kinds, and writing poetry. Her greatest gift was her genuine interest in, and compassion for, other people. She doted on her family and friends with unconditional love, kindness, and generosity; as one friend put it, “She made me feel like what I did mattered, and also like I was enough no matter what I did.” Betty was deeply
loved by everyone whose lives she touched.
Betty is survived by her son Douglas (Joy Wolfe) Ensor and daughter Debra Martin; grandchildren Sarah (Ingrid Diran) Ensor, Will (Katie) McConnell, Tim (Melissa) McConnell, and Hannah (Aisha Sabatini Sloan) Ensor; and great-grandchildren Taylor, Crystianna, Brayden and Sullivan McConnell and Lily and Beau Taylor. She was preceded in death by her parents, infant grandson Daniel Ensor, sister Cathie Falin, son-in-law Randy Howard, and her beloved Ron.
Burial has taken place. A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Emmanuel Hospice, the University of Michigan LSA Emergency Scholarship Fund at https://leadersandbest.umich.edu/find/#!/give/basket/fund/314649, or the charity of your choice.