Elizabeth Dann White

Elizabeth Dann White, 90, died at her McLean, Virginia home in the arms of her loving caregivers on March 20, 2024. Elizabeth spent the first years of her life in Westchester County, NY, where she was born on December 3, 1933, to Robert Harding and Dorothy Herb Dann. Soon after, she moved with her family to Los Angeles where her father became general counsel to Hollywood producer David Selznick. The theme song from Selznick’s blockbuster “Gone with the Wind” remained one of Elizabeth’s favorite scores throughout her life, often humming it loudly for her family in her last years. Elizabeth graduated from University High School in West L.A and received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 1955. She then attended Yale Drama School, where she met her first husband, Gridley Wright. After the birth of Ashley, her daughter, Elizabeth and Gridley moved back to L.A. in 1958. Her son Christopher was born in 1959. Her marriage to Gridley ended shortly after. She married Peter L. Harvie in 1962 and they remained together until 1979. A tireless perfectionist, Elizabeth channeled her boundless energy into raising her children and later into her decorating business, Elizabeth Harvie Interiors. Elegant and exquisitely coordinated, her home interiors were balanced with warmth and comfort. She had a keen eye for collecting antiques and pairing them with soft, but bright finishes that resulted in an airy but formal style. Also an avid collector of haute couture, Elizabeth wore these styles with flair on her petite frame. In 2004, Elizabeth moved from Los Angeles to Mclean, Va. to be closer to her, as she called him, “beloved” son Chris and his family. Known as Bibbi to her four grandsons, Elizabeth embraced the chaos of naughty and often uncouth boys as well as the wet noses of their many dogs who were always oddly drawn to the diminutive, properly dressed woman. Bibbi loved more than anything sharing a meal with her family. Even as she sometimes sent up sparks with her feisty and provocative opinions, Elizabeth loved her family as dearly as she could as they did her. To her grandsons, she strove endlessly to impart the necessity of faith as well as good manners. “Manners maketh the man” she would say – as if it was the 11th Commandment. Just as the covid pandemic began, Elizabeth’s health began to decline, leaving her mostly homebound. Although she had prided herself on self-reliance throughout her life, Elizabeth gradually let go of her independence and found herself surrounded with respect and tenderness everyday thanks to her three amazing caregivers, sisters Carola, Delma and Andrea. They gave Elizabeth an incredible end-of-life gift of unconditional love and in turn each one said she inspired them to be strong and independent. Elizabeth was preceded in death by her sister, Barbara Lindquist. She is survived by: her son, Christopher J. Harvie and his wife, Claudia; her daughter, Ashley E. Harvie and husband Steve Jenks; six grandchildren, Sandy, Peter, Jamie and Will Harvie, and Willis and Frances Jenks; and her brothers William M. Dann of Anchorage, Alaska, and Dr. Robert H. Dann, Jr., of Barnstable, Massachusetts.