Mary Elizabeth Cowden Berdan, 80, died Sunday, April 12, 2009 at her home in Eastsound.

She was born on June 2, 1928 in Eastsound to Lester and Zoa (Harrison) Cowden, farmers in the Crow Valley area. Elizabeth was a third generation islander. Her grandfather, Ben Harrison, an early teacher at Crow Valley School House, and his wife, Mary, were also farmers in the valley on a farm across from the golf course. Elizabeth developed an early, life-long love for farming and knitting from them.

She fell in love with tall, handsome, Ronald Berdan, who came to Orcas to live with his school teaching sister, Marion, and finish high school. When Ron joined the Navy the following year, Elizabeth and he kept up a steady correspondence during his military service while she filled her days working as one of the island telephone operators.

Once his hitch was up, they became hitched and remained so for 39 years until his death in 1989. Ron’s parents lived in a small community called Brush Prairie, near Vancouver, Wash. and he and his new bride took up residence there. He worked in the paper mill at Camas, while Elizabeth got busy raising a family. Three children, Edith, Roy, and Suzan, were born in three and a half years there. In 1954, they returned to Orcas where she has lived ever since, with over 40 of those years in her home on Dolphin Bay Road. In 1957, Carolyn joined the busy household to complete the family.

Elizabeth is survived by all four children and their spouses; 14 grandchildren and their spouses; 15 great-grandchildren; her sister, Margaret Keel of Olga; brother-in-law, Albert Lee Berdan of Seattle; and sisters-in-law, Marion Berdan of Eastsound and Elaine Carpenter of Canada.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 at Orcas Community Church in Eastsound.

Memorials may be made to Orcas Island Community Church or to the Senior Services of Orcas Island. Arrangements are in the care of Evans Funeral Chapel and Crematory, Inc. To share memories of Elizabeth, sign the online guest register at www.evanschapel.com.