Elizabeth S. Douglass

Her parents were divorced early in her childhood, and she lived in Austin, Texas with her mother. Her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Nabours, also lived in Austin, and Elizabeth enjoyed many wonderful times with her Big Mother and Big Daddy. She attended Bryker Woods Elementary, University Journal High, Stephen F. Austin High School, and the University of Texas.

She married Lawrence E. Hart (Larry), and they had two children, Brian Justin Hart and Lisa Dawn Hart. Their marriage ended in divorce.

Elizabeth’s mother, Mabel, married Charles J. Schneider, Jr. in 1961. This was a wonderful union, and Charlie legally adopted Elizabeth at that time, becoming her loving father and loving grandfather to Brian and Lisa.

Elizabeth married Richard E. Douglass. They met through ballroom dancing, which was a major love of their lives. They became dance partners, life partners, soul mates, and best friends. They competed together as an amateur couple for about 15 years, and then remained active in social dancing. They were married for 41 years.

Dancing of some sort was part of Elizabeth’s life for many years. She loved square dancing, line dancing, but most of all, ballroom dancing. She was an avid reader. She enjoyed gardening. Elizabeth loved her church, Tarrytown United Methodist (TUMC), and became very active in many study groups there. She was a member of the Swift Sunday School Class and was a Stephen Leader in her church’s Stephen Ministry. Elizabeth was instrumental in bringing the Stephen Ministry to TUMC, and although she taught the training classes, she always said that she learned and grew more than the students and felt very blessed by this involvement.

Elizabeth was employed off and on in various areas. She worked in the Accounting Department of the LCRA before her children were born and then was a stay-at-home mom until they were out of high school. She then became an employee of Conservation Unlimited, which later became Stand Brothers. She was working there at the time of her marriage to Richard. Richard was self-employed and therefore had a flexible schedule. He encouraged Elizabeth to design and make ballroom gowns for competitive dancers. So, Elizabeth started her own business, Elizabeth Douglass Designs. She was a talented seamstress and soon sequins and feathers covered most of everything in the Douglass household. She had this business until the responsibilities of caring for her mother took priority. Her mother, Mabel, was widowed in 1986, and being an only child, Elizabeth was her mother’s caretaker. Mabel died in 2001.

Richard started a business, Douglass Associates, in 1993, and Elizabeth was minimally involved with this enterprise. After Mabel’s death, Elizabeth became very involved in Douglass Associates. This allowed Richard to devote his energies to software development and technical support while Elizabeth handled the financial area. They both had offices at home and really enjoyed being involved in working together.

Elizabeth is survived by her husband, Richard Douglass and her children, Brian Hart (Austin) and Lisa Hart (Crested Butte, CO) and Carolyn Douglass (Austin) and Robert Douglass (Austin).

A memorial service will be held on November 25, 2025 at 10:30 AM at Tarrytown United Methodist Church, 2601 Exposition Blvd. in Austin.