Active Princeton volunteer
HONOLULU — Elizabeth “Libby” Davis Shanefield died May 2 of cancer. She was 69.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., she lived in Princeton for 40 years before moving to Hawaii in 2006.
She studied history of art at Wellesley College, graduating in 1960, and later received a master’s degree from the Teachers College of Columbia University.
Her volunteer experience with the American Friends Service Committee in post-war Finland influenced her to become a Quaker and shaped her life’s work teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL).
She trained ESOL teachers at the Princeton-in-Asia program of Princeton University and taught at Princeton Adult School. She was also a consultant, tutoring students from the Institute for Advanced Study and wrote examination questions for Educational Testing Service.
She volunteered at the Princeton Public Library, including helping create an ESOL section there.
She was a member of Princeton Friends Meeting.
She enjoyed travel and voyaged to all seven continents, visiting former students and taking educational tours.
She was a member of the Princeton Recorder Society and performed in numerous local concerts. Her other interests included art, bird watching, gardening, swimming and tennis.
She is survived by her husband, Daniel; daughter Alison B. Buckley of Chicago; son Douglas of Honolulu; brother John Davis; sister Anne Carnahan; and two grandchildren.
