Elizabeth (Liz) B. Crain

Elizabeth (Liz) Crain, age 98, passed away from natural causes Tuesday, November 3, 2020 in Albuquerque, NM. She is survived by sons, Bob Jr. and partner, Judy Ducharme of Albuquerque, NM and Jim and wife, Sylvia of Santa Fe, NM.

She grew up in Crawfordsville, AR and met her husband of 76 years, Robert, at Arkansas A&M in chemistry lab. They celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in February 2018. They married at her parents’ home in 1942 at the height of World War II. They had many adventures as she traveled with him to army postings around the country and found civil service work at each place, including a stint as secretary to his commanding officer at Fort Monroe in Virginia.

Liz always wanted to go west and in 1946, childhood friends told her about openings at Los Alamos Laboratory where the atomic bomb had been developed. That led them to Albuquerque and Sandia National Laboratories. While Robert worked at Sandia, Liz raised two boys, worked part time on base, did secretarial work for attorneys, and in the sixties she became a real estate agent at Generis-Huckabee, later at Slenes Realty and Gallery of Homes. She was one of the pioneers in home staging. She made open houses an event. After building her dream home in Sandia Heights, she maintained her own Alamos Realty, which focused on subdivisions at a ranch partnership formed with her husband, Robert, and three longtime friends. The Alamosa Ranch at Monticello Canyon near Elephant Butte Lake was the scene for real estate development, ranching, and fun.

Learning to play piano as a child, Liz loved music of all kinds and was involved in many music programs at the Kirtland Officers Club in the fifties and sixties. She was a close friend and supporter of Hector Garcia, the classical guitarist and Cuban exile. Active in Sigma Alpha Iota, the music fraternity at UNM, Liz hosted many musical events and fostered young musicians in Albuquerque. In the nineties and after, Liz was a board member in both the Albuquerque chapter of the Santa Fe Opera Guild and Guilds Inc., the umbrella organization for all of the Opera Guild chapters. Whenever she was involved with an organization she participated fully, often taking leadership roles.

Liz loved to travel. She joined the Friendship Force in the seventies and traveled to Italy, Europe, Spain, Korea, and Costa Rica. In later years, Robert and Elizabeth spent two months of the year in Wauchula, FL at the SKP RV Park where they enjoyed the weather through the winter months and had many friends.

Liz was a hostess of some renown and liked everything to be just so. There were many legendary parties, often with live entertainment or themes. She was known to liven up outdoor get togethers in her beautiful and award-winning back yards by enlisting her sons to set off surprise fireworks.

The family thanks the many caregivers that made her last months more comfortable.

A memorial and remembrance will be held when groups are again able to safely meet. Interment will be at the Santa Fe National Cemetery in Santa Fe, NM.