Elisabeth Woerner

Elisabeth Woerner was someone who many knew more personally as Lisa. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on December 9th, 2020 at the White Oaks Rehabilitation and Nursing Center where she resided for the last year of her life. Lisa was a mother to 3 wonderful children: Ingrid, William, and Irene. She was also a deeply loved grandmother to Chris, Katie, and Sophia. Both of her son-in-laws, John and Adolph, were extremely fond of her as was everyone else in her life.

Elisabeth was born in Kleinwallstadt, Germany on March 19,1928. She always took a lot of pride in her upbringing by parents August and Veronica Becker as 1 of 8 children. Considering what an intense and uncertain childhood Lisa had during the war, the stories and memories she shared were happy ones. Elisabeth lived in Germany until she was 25, the time she spent there was a very important part of who she was. Before leaving for what would be the rest of her life spent in the United States, she worked as a nanny in England for 2 years.

The second part of Lisa’s story began when she followed her life’s companion, Ottokar Woerner, to America to start a new life. She left Germany in November of 1953 and married upon arrival on December 10th. They were married at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Lake Ronkonkoma, which became the family parish.

By working constantly in all different jobs and saving what they made, they bought their first tiny house together on Alma Avenue. Over the years, this house evolved into a home with many renovations done by Ottokar and the endless treasures handmade by Lisa. In the basement, a tiny niche that was turned into a sewing room was truly her oasis where she spent many hours making dresses, pajamas, quilts, and her many special crafts, which she loved to give as gifts and are now treasured by many. She shared her love for sewing in her work as a sewing teacher at Cooperative Extension and the Singer Sewing Center, later teaching friends in classes at home. She also worked as a prep cook at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, teaching people on a daily basis that hospital food too could be delicious. At home, we all had our favorites that we would constantly request, and it was no surprise when every Christmas there would be a debate on who would take home the few cookies of hers that were left. Her highest priority was always her children, who she never hesitated to make immense sacrifices for. Even though she always held the three of them to a very high standard, she also took pride in their accomplishments.

Up until the last 5 years of her life, Lisa was a strong and independent woman who did not rely on anyone else for help. Considering the fact that she lived through World War 2 and was an immigrant, this is no surprise. She insisted on caring for her home and self until her late 80s.

Due to her increasing age and an unfortunate accident, Lisa sadly had to leave her Lake Grove home in 2018. She moved to assisted living, where her main complaint was that there were too many old people. With more time and age, she moved to White Oaks Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. During her time there, the highlight of her week were our visits with her, trips to a local diner or Old Westbury Gardens.

Lisa is irreplaceable, but her liveliness and standards for perfection will live on. The impact that she had on others, whether it was providing support for them or doing what she knew was the right thing, is something all of us will hold in our hearts forever.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to a charity she supported: Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc.  371 East Jericho Turnpike. Smithtown, NY 11787-9000