Underhill, Ethel-Marie

Ethel-Marie Underhill, 71, died peacefully and suddenly at Boulder Community Health on July 31, 2014, after a graceful 12 year dance with chronic leukemia.

A celebration of her life will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 1301 Gladewood Dr., Blacksburg at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 27, 2014. A potluck reception at the church will immediately follow the service.

She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Bob, with whom she shared 40 years of marriage and a passion for travel that took them to more than 50 countries. She is survived and dearly missed by three daughters, Amy Lythgoe (Mike) of Superior, CO, Laina Todd of Ft. Lauderdale, Yvonne Underhill (Sharon Taylor) of Frederick, MD; three granddaughters, Corinne, Celeste, and Calista Lythgoe also of Superior; and soul sister, Linda Sanders of Glen Mills, PA.

Born on October 21, 1942, in Charleston, Illinois, to Ewell and Grace Marie (Gardner) Fowler, Ethel-Marie earned a B.S. in Nursing from Indiana University and worked primarily as a post-partum charge nurse and instructor. She was thrilled to attend her IU 50th class reunion in June. Her primary vocations were wife, mother, and friend, which she lived into through volunteer work serving family charities, church communities, and public schools in the many towns, cities, and countries in which she lived.

Of particular note were her decades of service to La Leche League International, a world-wide parenting and breastfeeding advocacy and education organization; she served as LLLI’s International Division Director from 1981-1986. In addition, Ethel-Marie was a talented fiber artist, selling her handknit original creations at art shows and boutiques throughout the East Coast. She was active in her chosen faith, Unitarian Universalism, and participated for many years with UU WomenSpirit, including serving as event coordinator for the organization’s 10th anniversary celebration in 1997. Her joys included singing, traveling, playing, and laughing with those she loved.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 720 S. Colorado Boulevard Suite 5005, Denver, CO 80246 or UU WomenSpirit, c/o Sue Hand, 344 Bendigo Drive, Cordova, TN 38018. Arrangements by McCoy Funeral Home, Blacksburg.