Elizabeth Holmes Allyn
Sept. 22, 1926-Dec. 4, 2014
Palo Alto, California

Elizabeth Holmes Allyn, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, passed away peacefully on Dec. 4, 2014, two months after her husband Nathaniel C. Allyn. Elizabeth is survived by her sons, Jeffery, and his wife Sharon, of Los Altos and Marc of Menlo Park, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Betsy was born in Portland, Oregon, to Edward and Ina Holmes. The Holmes family moved to Palo Alto in the early 1930s. Betsy graduated Palo Alto High School in 1944 then worked at the Stanford Bookstore where she met Nathaniel, a graduate student at Stanford. They married in 1948 and purchased a home on Bowdoin Street in College Terrace where they raised three sons, Jeffery, Marc and Thomas.

Betsy was the tireless advocate for all causes related to the betterment of the Palo Alto community and Bay Area open space. She volunteered countless hours supporting initiatives brought forth by the Committee for Green Foothills. She was a strong supporter of her good friend, Enid Pearson, in Enid's campaign for the city council. Betsy spearheaded successful efforts to have the Arastradero Preserve renamed the Enid Pearson-Arastradero Preserve in honor of her friend Enid who, as a councilwoman, was instrumental in passing a measure that forbid Palo Alto from selling park land without voter approval. As the Silicon Valley housing demands grew in the 1980 and 1990s, Betsy was a strong voice in asking the Palo Alto City Council to re-open Terman Junior High School in 2003.

An avid reader, Betsy's efforts in behalf of the Palo Alto community extended to her work with Friends of Palo Alto Library (FOPAL). In the final paragraph of her "Letter from the President," Betsy wrote, "People in Palo Alto have time and again supported their neighborhood libraries as much as they have supported their schools. We will be asked to do it again with the Bond issue and the campaign of 'Better Libraries for Palo Alto.'" When it came to her love for Palo Alto, no cause was too small or too formidable for her support.

Betsy was the consummate ailurophile. Through the years, many stray animals found their way into the Allyn backyard and were treated to meals, scratches, bedding and love for life. Betsy and Nat spent many days in their sunny backyard reading the New York Times, discussing world and Palo Alto politics.

My mother requested that there be no obituary or service. We could only accommodate half of her wishes.

The Allyn family will forever be grateful to Pathways for their sensitivity and kindness to Betsy and Nat, and for guiding our family through these difficult times.

Tags: teacher/educator, public service