Elizabeth "Libby" Shirley Lucas, 74, died March 19, 2022.
She was born in Hinsdale in 1947 to John and Mary Shirley and had two sisters, Maryann Shirley Maclean and Margaret Cordin. She lived in Hinsdale until 1963, when she was a junior at Hinsdale Township High School.
After leaving Hinsdale (but you never really leave Hinsdale) Libby lived on the beachfront in Long Beach, Calif., a treehouse in Hawaii, near the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Atlanta and downtown Chicago. She spent her summers on Lake Michigan in Douglas, Mich.
While sitting with friends in Chicago she would say, there is more than one perfect person for everyone. "There could be a guy waiting for me in New Jersey."
She did not really know where N.J. was on the map but felt that was the most unlikely of places. When she came to help her friend, Michael, set up his business, Libby went to the real estate office in N.J. to pick up the leases. She walked in and said, "What's with all the artwork?" She was told "That's Jeff Lucas. Do you want to meet him?" Libby and Jeff married in 1991 at Katmandu on the Philly waterfront. She finally learned how to grow perennials, living in the same home for 33 years in Medford, N.J.
Libby loved the arts as a painter, collector and patron. She had a wonderful singing voice and perfect pitch. She supported the Medford Arts Center for many years and helped staff members there move into their new home in 2018.
Libby was kind, caring and knew how to make people laugh. She had longtime friends and made new friends easily. She was a Kripalu trained massage therapist and helped heal people in their bodies, minds and souls.
She was loved by her dogs, Shayna and Ginger; two Muscovy ducks named Fred and Kramer; and many relatives and friends. She had a special place in her heart for her wonderful great-nieces and -nephews.
She is survived by her husband, Jeff.
A Libby Lucas Celebration of the Arts will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at Studio 67 Medford, in The Feed Mill at 67 North Main St., Medford, NJ.
Memorials may be made online to the Medford Arts Center at https://www.medfordarts.com.
