- Date Of Birth: May 14, 1931
- Date Of Death: July 3, 2022
- State: Idaho
Elizabeth Mae Quinn (Bitsy) died peacefully in her sleep, July 3, 2022 at age 91. She spent her last years struggling with dementia, but it could not tame her indomitable spirit. She was a three-time cancer survivor and frequently sang one of her favorite Stephen Sondheim songs, “I’m Still Here”.
Bitsy was born in Porterville, Calif., May 14, 1931, the daughter of Charles F. And Marjorie Shiplett White. As a child, she lived in Spokane, moving to Boise during World War II, when she was 10. After graduating from Boise High School in 1949, Bitsy studied at Boise Junior College, intending to become a teacher. She married James A. Quinn, a descendant of one of Idaho’s pioneer families, September 30, 1951. They were married for 58 years until his death in 2009.
After college, she taught for a short time, but chose to give up education to follow other pursuits. One of those pursuits was music. In high school and college, she sang with dance bands and spent the rest of her life singing, bringing great joy to everyone who heard her. She has performed with the First Methodist Chancel Choir, the Symphonic Chorus, Music Week, Music Productions Inc., The Follies, the Gallery Players and her favorite, The Showtimers.
In addition to her musical activities, she was active in the Junior League of Boise, P.E.O., the Friends of the Bishop’s House, The Morrison Center Committee, and the St. Alphonsus Hospital Auxiliary. She was deeply interested in preserving Boise’s architecture and small town feeling. In her later years, Bitsy spent countless hours researching and documenting the family genealogy.
