Born July 3, 1922, Lib was the second child of the late Vernon Howell Massengill and Wilma Cooke Massengill of Dunn. She was the widow of Wayne Quay Justesen, a native of Spring City, Utah, and a longtime businessman in Dunn and Fayetteville.
A graduate of Dunn High School and Hardbarger’s Business College in Raleigh, she was an active member for 80 years of Hood Memorial Christian Church, where she served as a Sunday School teacher, as a member of the Women’s Circle, and as a member of the church board. She was a voracious reader, a gifted bridge player, an eagle-eyed bookkeeper, a witty conversationalist, a fervent Tar Heel basketball and football fan, and a devoted wife and mother, among her many talents.
During World War II, Lib worked as a payroll and accounting clerk for the U.S. Government at Fort Bragg, where she met her husband Wayne, then a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, at a Saint Patrick’s Day dance in 1943. They were married on August 1, 1943, at her home in Dunn, before he was shipped overseas to the European Theater as a parachute instructor and glider pilot. After Wayne was seriously wounded in early 1945 at Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge, he was medically evacuated for a series of surgeries and extended treatment in the United States.
After retiring from active duty, Wayne and Lib spent time in Utah and Texas before living for a time in Asheville, North Carolina, where he worked for the Asheville Citizen-Times. They returned to Dunn in the late 1940s with their first son, Wayne Jr. Wayne worked first as a commercial photographer and then as a staff member of the Dunn Dispatch before opening a retail office supply store in Dunn. Later, he established Bragg Office Supply, Inc., in Fayetteville, which he ran with her capable assistance until his retirement in 1984. They were blessed along the way with two more children, daughter Beth and son Ben.
Lib traveled overseas twice, to Germany in 1970 and Jamaica in 1985, to visit her sons during their foreign postings. After her husband’s death in 1986, Lib continued to live in the family home on South General Lee Avenue. She was also predeceased by her beloved son, Wayne Q. Justesen, Jr., and one grandson, Wayne Q. “Tad” Justesen III, both of Greenwood, S.C.; her sister, Marjorie M. Carroll of Raleigh; and her brother, Eugene Ward Massengill of Richmond, Va.
She is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth J. VanNortwick and son-in-law Bryan of Raleigh; her son, Benjamin R. Justesen II and daughter-in-law Margaret, of Alexandria, Va.; by one sister, Mrs. Tootsie (Dick) Taylor, of Waco, Texas; five grandchildren, Laura F. (Brian) Hill and Jonathan M. (Lauren) Folley of Raleigh; Dr. Fredrika J. (Ben) Spencer of Wilmington; Gordon H. Justesen of Greenwood, S.C.; and Sgt. Julian T. (Lavin) Justesen of Fort Polk, La.; and eight great-grandchildren: Sloane, Kaylen, and Dean Spencer; and Liza, Quay, Kate, Liam, and Hunter Justesen. Other survivors include a cousin, Dr. Beulah Spangler, of Blacksburg, Va., and four nieces and six nephews.
A memorial service to commemorate the life of Elizabeth “Lib” Justesen will be conducted at 11:00 AM on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at Hood Memorial Christian Church with Rev. Joanie Williams officiating. The family will receive friends at the church following the service.
In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions may be made to Hood Memorial Christian Church, 300 E. Cumberland Street, Dunn, NC 28334.
All arrangements are entrusted to Cromartie-Miller Funeral Home. Online condolences may be expressed at www.cromartiemiller.com
