Elizabeth Mantey

ELIZABETH MANTEY - Charming, loveable, and enigmatic, Elizabeth Oriole Aitchison Mantey died peacefully on November 22, 2023 while enjoying one of her favorite pastimes – a road trip!  Liz is survived by her three children, Lisa (Chris), Paul (Susan), and Eileen (Mike), and her seven grandchildren, Lauren (Colt), Savannah (Matthew), Carolyn, Sonja (Sam), Ryan, Jack, and Katherine. 

Born August 5, 1937, in Brandon, Manitoba, Liz moved frequently with brief but memorable periods in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Florida, and New Zealand, the homeland of her mother, Oriole, a concert pianist and piano teacher. Following in her mother’s footsteps, she received a standing ovation at six for her public performance of Mozart’s C Major Sonata; at nine, she played Chopin’s Waltz in A flat on the radio in Victoria to benefit the March of Dimes. Though Liz did not pursue piano, she was still able to play beautifully after a 70-year hiatus. With her mother and grandmother, she took long trips on board ship to and from New Zealand that sparked a life-long love of travel. 

In 1951 they joined her father, James Aitchison, professor of political science at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Liz attended Queen Elizabeth H.S.; at Dalhousie, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts (English and Psychology), and completed one year of a law degree, finishing 3rd in a class of 60. In university she was active in the Conservative Club and was one of two official voting delegates at the National Convention in 1956. She studied at McMaster, audited law at Vanderbilt, obtained a secretarial diploma at the National Business College in Nashville, briefly worked in a travel agency in Atlanta, and then as a secretary at a law firm in Pensacola. Curious and fearless, she travelled alone to Stanford in California, where she met her husband, John Mantey.

They married in July 1961. The family moved with John’s work at IBM to Chappaqua, New York, then to Houston, Texas, and finally to Boulder, Colorado. Liz stayed in Boulder for over 20 years, cultivating a much-loved circle of friends and busy social calendar as a volunteer in her church, with her children’s schools, and as former president of the Boulder Chapter of Republican Women and Pi Beta Phi Alumni.

Liz returned to Halifax in 1991. She joyfully maintained ties with her friends and family around the world while continuing to support causes she cared about including the Progressive Conservative Party, Dalhousie Law Society, and Dalhousie Women’s Division.  She travelled often with her family, including several trips to Florida and many road trips across North America, visits to England, Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands, and daring ride-alongs with her storm-chasing grandchild.

Liz is dearly missed by her children whom she loved and supported, her grandchildren whom she adored and doted on, and her friends that meant the world to her. None of us will forget her prolific letter and Christmas card writing, love of jewelry and full English breakfasts, voracious reading habits (preference for Jane Austen), unique accent, quick wit, generosity, stubborn determination, charming femininity, and how much and deeply she loved.

Her final words were “I did my best.” She was laid to rest in Berwick, Nova Scotia. A Memorial Mass will be held Saturday, December 9th at 11:00 am at Stella Maris Parish, 14 St. Michael’s Avenue, in Halifax. Reception to follow. 

DONATIONS

Donations in Elizabeth Mantey’s memory may be made to Adsum for Women & Children.