Elizabeth Rogovsky

Elizabeth was born in Washington, DC, the sixth of eight children. At age 5, she contracted measles and mumps, causing a hearing loss that colored her whole life. She attended St. Jerome's Elementary School and enjoyed playing sports, especially softball and later tennis. .... She attended Elizabeth Seton High School and then Northwestern High School. While at Northwestern High School Elizabeth was guided by a speech therapy teacher named Beatrice Freeman, who became a dear friend to Elizabeth over the years and something of a mentor. Over the years, Elizabeth traveled to Canada with Bea, and throughout their friendship Elizabeth developed a discerning eye for antiques and a love for Greek food. Elizabeth later became a caregiver for Bea, which gave Liz a unique perspective when she herself was in a position of being cared for during the last year of her life. .... Liz graduated from West Liberty State College in West Virginia. Friends from college settled in Alaska and Liz made several trips there to visit friends and enjoy the wilderness. .... She worked in Montgomery County doing Social work policy, and earned her Master's degree from University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus. Elizabeth was an Associate Professor at Gallaudet University for several years. .... She had her first Hearing Guide dog during this time: Hope, a border collie. During this time is when her sister Susan got her first dog, BeBe, a black lab. They had many happy times training and playing and learning about dogs together. After the dog Hope died, Liz received her next Hearing Assist dog, an Australian Shepherd named Riverboat Gambler. .... About a year after Gambler died, she received an Australian Shepherd named Shiloh. Liz knew she would change his name ("Shiloh" sounded too much like "No" and she didn't want any confusion when giving a correction to the dog). Liz noticed that Shiloh had all the attributes she had been wishing for with each dog; feeling as if she had hit the jackpot with Shiloh, she renamed him Jackpot. During Liz's last year of life, Susan and Teresa took over the dog-walking duties for Jackpot, allowing him to remain Liz's companion up until the end. Teresa developed an especially close relationship with Jack, and is adopting him as her own first dog. .... At Howard University Liz completed All But Dissertation for a PhD in Social Work. Liz's research in Disability Studies is highly cited by other scholars and continues to be an important study and early leader in the discipline. .... At the time she was working on her dissertation, she happened to discover a love for real estate investing. Real estate work perfectly combined her love for old houses and her social work desire to help people. Liz ventured into this field and started a business. .... Liz's life was rich with her expert craftsmanship in stained glass, jewelry design and creation, soap making, and the historic restoration of her home. Elizabeth planted an extensive vegetable garden each year and took pride in the beautiful and fragrant flowers in her yard. .... In addition to the travels to Alaska to visit friends and to Canada with Bea Freeman, Liz enjoyed camping. She traveled with her sisters to Martha's Vineyard and to campgrounds on Skyline Drive. Teresa and Liz took a memorable trip to France in the early 80's. .... Throughout her last year of life when the lung cancer diminished Liz's ability to enjoy the physical pleasures of gardening, walking the dog and restoring her 1920's home - she still found enjoyment in simpler pleasures of life. She connected with people, including the medical providers all along the way. She loved reading and devoured books. Up until the very end she would go out on the front porch once or twice a day, enjoying the weather and greeting neighbors. ..... For those who wish to do so, memorial donations may be made to St. Jerome's Catholic Church, 5205 43rd Avenue, Hyattsville, Maryland 20781 http://www.stjeromes.org or to the Washington Animal Rescue League's "Love Fund-Medical Center" http://www.warl.org