TOPSHAM — Elizabeth Bowers Atwood, 89, of Topsham, ME, died Saturday, May 31, 2014. She was born in Wilkinsburg, PA, on Aug. 19, 1924, the daughter of Ralph and Elizabeth (McMillin) Bowers. She grew up in Tenafly, NJ, with summers in Maine, until moving to Woolwich, ME, in her high school years. She attended Morse High School in Bath, graduating in 1942. She attended Stoneleigh College in Rye Beach, NH, and Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.
Elizabeth (Bettie) married Allan Holden Atwood of Bath, Maine, in June of 1946. They resided in Portland and Bangor, ME, then in Shanks Village, Orangeburg, NY, while Allan pursued his education. After briefly residing in Alexandria, VA, they moved to Old Saybrook, CT, while they designed and built a new home in Old Lyme, CT. They resided there for 38 years and raised three children. During this time, Bettie worked designing restaurant interiors and as a freelance draftsperson. She was active in the League of Women Voters and the Old Lyme Historic District Commission. In her later years she became an active member of the Philanthropic Educational Organization.
Upon retirement, Bettie and Allan moved to Union, ME, where they lived until Allan’s death in 2001. Bettie then moved to Topsham, ME, for the remainder of her years.
Bettie was a talented and prolific artist; she was first and foremost a printmaker, using the name E.B. Atwood. Her medium of choice was woodblock, but she also worked in silkscreen and linocut. While residing in Old Lyme, she frequently showed her work at the Lyme Art Association, where she was a member. She was also a member of the Wiscasset Art Association and exhibited her work in galleries throughout Connecticut and Maine. Other artistic endeavors included watercolor, ink wash, pen and ink, oil painting, bookbinding, basket weaving, quilting, and needlepoint. She was particularly well known for her hand-printed Christmas cards.
Bettie was a feminist and a freethinker, maintaining a deep interest in history and politics until her death. She treated all she met with courtesy and grace, and will be greatly missed by her friends and family.
Bettie is predeceased by her husband, Allan H. Atwood Sr., and her son, Allan H. Atwood Jr. She is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth McMillin Atwood, of Redmond, WA, and son, Christopher Bowers Atwood, of New London, CT. She is also survived by her grandson, Nathaniel Atwood Hall, of Oceanside, CA, and granddaughter, Elizabeth Chapman Hall, of Kirkland, WA.
The family will be planning a Celebration of Life in Woolwich, ME.
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