Elizabeth Anderson Futch McEmber (age 98) of Leesburg, Florida, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 18, 2020.
Beloved wife of the late Colonel Robert R. McEmber, U.S. Air Force (retired) and a veteran of World War II; and loving mother of daughters Sharon Leigh McEmber (Robert Scates) and Elizabeth Anne McEmber (Ronald Craft). Mrs. McEmber is also survived by two adored grandsons, Matthew A. Craft and Marcus A. Craft.
Born in Leesburg, Florida, on September 2, 1921, to Circuit Court Judge and Mrs.Truman G. Futch Sr., Elizabeth began taking piano and singing lessons at the age of five. Her parents gave her a grand piano on her fifth birthday when they recognized her early musical talents. She sang and played piano in performances while she was in elementary and high school. She was a 1947 graduate of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, where she earned a B.A. degree in music. At Stetson she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and the Phi Beta honorary music and speech fraternity. She was a parishioner of the Morrison United Methodist Church in Leesburg, FL.
After Elizabeth graduated from Stetson University she directed church choirs and community choruses when she and her family lived in Paw Paw, Michigan; West Lafayette, Indiana; and Marshfield, Wisconsin. At Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, she was a vocal coach and pianist for Purdue Theatre Department musical productions. At the University of Wisconsin in Marshfield she was an adjunct instructor in the Music Department. In Miami, Florida, she was president and newsletter editor of the Miami Music Club, and an active member of the Florida and National Federation of Music Clubs. In the late 1950s Elizabeth was the lead vocalist in the Purdue University Variety Band, a jazz and show band conducted by Robert McEmber. The band toured for the USO, entertaining U.S. military troops at many bases in Europe. Elizabeth enjoyed raising beloved house cats, playing her grand piano and Hammond organ, gardening, attending concerts and theatre productions, traveling to beaches in Florida and mountains in Virginia, collecting antiques, and reading novels and history books. Most of all she was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother and will be greatly missed by her family and friends.
Because of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no funeral held for Elizabeth. A private interment ceremony will be at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida, where Col. Robert McEmber is buried. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Stetson University School of Music in the name of Robert R. and Elizabeth Futch McEmber. https://stetson.edu/music
