Elizabeth “Liz” Dresser Dickens died peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Liz was born in Los Angeles in July 1924.

Liz fell in love with a handsome high school classmate, Jim Dickens, with whom she went steady until they could marry in 1944 while Jim was serving in the Air Corps.

Their union produced three loving children, Ernie (wife Patty), Emily McArthur and Jan Beall (husband Richard), all Whidbey Island residents. Jim and Liz were blessed with many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Merrit Bise.

Liz and Jim raised their three children in Los Angeles until 1957 when they chose to move to a very small town on the California coast, Cambria, to provide a better place for their kids to grow up.

Liz had a long career in the field of education, including Los Angeles City Schools, Cambria Elementary, Cal Poly University and San Luis Obispo School District. Liz and Jim both valued education and were lifelong learners themselves.

After their children left the nest, Liz and Jim moved to a mobile home in Los Osos, Calif., where they enjoyed their many friends. When the mobile home park came up for sale they helped to make it a resident-owned park. In 2003 Liz and Jim moved to Freeland to be close to their children.

Memorial donations in honor of Liz’s life can be made to any local Alzheimer’s Association chapter.