Dr. Elizabeth Lane Furdell

Dr. Elizabeth ("Betty") Lane Furdell, University of North Florida Professor Emerita of History and University Distinguished Professor, died in her sleep on September 17, 2021. She was born on April 13, 1944, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the only child of Lionel Kenneth and Helen Jonas Lane, but grew up in Seattle, Washington. Valedictorian and Student Body President at Holy Rosary High School, Betty earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Washington in 1966, where she was President of Alpha Xi Delta Sorority and a Senior Honor Woman, then went on for a Master's and Doctorate in British history at Kent State University in Ohio under Martin Havran and Barrett Beer. She married a fellow doctoral student, William Furdell in 1968, and moved to Great Falls, Montana; upon completion of her Ph.D., she taught for a decade at the University of Great Falls, now Providence University. In Montana Betty participated in civic and professional activities, such as the Montana Committee for the Humanities and the American Association of University Women, serving locally as President and nationally on the American Fellowships Committee of AAUW for 6 years. She hosted a regular television book club feature on "Today in Montana" and toured the Federal Republic of Germany as an invited participant in its Guest Program. Her first marriage ended in divorce after fourteen years.

In 1983 the University of North Florida hired her on a visiting line but retained her as a tenured history professor for the next twenty-seven years, promoting her to the top rank, during which time she received multiple teaching awards, scholarship recognition, and wide acclaim for her mentoring of students. She published six books, most on early modern British medicine, as well as many articles and scholarly reviews. Among her book titles are The Royal Doctors: Medical Personnel at the Tudor and Stuart Courts; Publishing and Medicine in Early Modern England; and Fatal Thirst: Diabetes in Britain until Insulin. UNF named her its Distinguished Professor in 2002 and the Women's Center recognized her as a role model with its Susan B. Anthony Award. She served on countless university, college, and department committees over the years, always exercising dependability, direction, and tact. Leadership Jacksonville tapped her for its class of 1992 and she often volunteered for board work in the community including the American Cancer Society, Youth Leadership Jacksonville, and Prime Time Family Reading. She was an EVE finalist in education in 2003 and the recipient of multiple grants for archival research in the U.S. and abroad. At the time of her retirement in 2010 she estimated that she had taught over 10,000 college students during her long career.

When ovarian cancer struck her in 2013, she soldiered on through surgery and chemotherapy to remission. She and her husband appeared in a Baptist Health commercial touting the treatment she received from her oncologist, Dr. Stephen Buckley, and his staff. As a result, Betty was recognized throughout the community as a familiar face to many. She survived breast cancer, diagnosed in 2017, both cancers traced to the BRCA1 mutation. At the time of passing, she was undergoing peritoneal home dialysis for renal failure.

She leaves behind her loving husband of 31 years, fellow historian Dr. Theophilus Prousis; two beloved sons, James Lionel Furdell (Kimberly) and Andrew Lane Furdell (Julia) of Seattle; and four grandchildren, Alexander, Elizabeth (Ellie), Leo, and Melody. In her retirement, she tried to be a better friend to her "near sisters" in Florida and in Seattle and she reveled in her 31-year association with the Glamour Dog Book Club. She loved to travel, particularly to the United Kingdom and continental Europe, adored her Seattle sports teams, sang the Great American Songbook, donned the color purple as often as she could, doted on her feline pets and front-porch cardinals, spoke out eloquently for women's rights, and was an inveterate reader of British literary fiction. She was kind, wise, patient, funny, resourceful, and a loving mom, wife, and nana. She will be missed.

Memorial contributions to honor Betty may be made to American Cancer Society and American Diabetes Association.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hgmandarin.com for the Furdell family.