Elizabeth Atkins Semon

Age 48, she was born September 20, 1975 in Mobile, Alabama to John and Martha Semon.

She attended Wright School for Girls, UMS-Wright, and McGill-Toolen. She finished high school abroad, while modeling in Milan, Italy and London (fashion photography, runway shows, hair shows, video work).

In childhood, she developed a love for horses that became her lifelong passion. She became an accomplished equestrian, and attended the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio, to major in equestrian studies. After deciding she needed to broaden her education, she transferred to Spring Hill College in Mobile, and graduated with a B.A. in English Literature and a Minor in Art. Art was another of her passions since childhood, and she attended The Art Student’s League of New York, studying anatomical drawing and painting. She was awarded Best of Show for paintings at Spring Hill College and selected to exhibit in First Night of Mobile Arts Festival.

While in New York City, she was a teacher in the inner city public schools of Brooklyn in the Teach for America program. She developed an innovative approach to teaching art, creative thinking, English, and history; while meeting regularly with parents to promote the success of her students (including in-home visits).

She returned to riding, teaching students from around the world at Hunter Farms in Princeton, New Jersey. As well as individual and group instruction, she organized weekly children’s camps and monthly horse shows. Elizabeth decided that teaching riding was what she wanted to do, returned to her home city of Mobile, and taught in many different locations until she purchased land in Grand Bay, AL (with the help of her parents).

She founded Mobile Riding Academy, teaching people off all ages to enjoy riding. Her focus was Hunter-Jumper and natural horsemanship. She taught lessons, held summer camps, trained horses, took her students to shows, and helped people find the right horses for them.

Elizabeth loved all animals and rescued everything from horses to turtles. She was an outdoor person, enjoying nature so much that she felt like she could never work in an office. As an expression of her love for plants and trees, she created a beautiful work of art to memorialize a large pine tree killed in a hurricane.

Unfortunately, severe health issues ended her career, causing the closing of Mobile Riding Academy.

Elizabeth is survived by her parents, John and Martha Semon; her aunts Barbara Mudd, Dessie Koch, and Rosemary Nettles; her uncles, Tom Atkins and Paul Atkins; many cousins – Sadie Cooper, Charles McLean, John Neal Nettles, Cindy Douglas, Mary Jane Henderson, Rose Ellen Glover, Nancy Duffy, Sally Claffey, and Jane Jones; and many students and dear friends, especially Kiara Gross (Elizabeth loved Kiara as much as if she was her own daughter).

Elizabeth’s parents would like to thank Nadine Robinson for her devoted caregiving; the Springhill Home Health and Hospice Team for helping Elizabeth stay at home until the end; and Jennifer Mayfield for her tireless work to help Elizabeth and her parents through the difficult early period of illness.

On Monday, August 21, at 10 a.m. a visitation will be held at Pine Crest Funeral Home, followed by a chapel service and a graveside ceremony.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Elizabeth’s name can be made to the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation, Inc., 3634 West Market Street, Suite 110, Akron, Ohio – 44333.