Elizabeth was born on July 8, 1926, in Switzerland, a two-pound triplet. After World War II, she volunteered at the International Voluntary Service for Peace (IVSP). She helped concentration camp victims in Poland and Germany and also helped Germans rebuild their lives. When she returned to Switzerland, she married and became a doctor, graduating from the University of Switzerland with a medical degree in 1957.
In the late1950's, Elizabeth came to the United States and practiced medicine. She had originally wanted to be in pediatrics, but she instead went into psychiatry, getting a degree in 1963 from the University of Colorado. There in Denver, she lectured on death and dying. When she went to Chicago, Illinois, she continued studying death and also did a weekly seminar on death for dying patients, skeptical teachers, and health students.
In 1969, Elizabeth published her book On Death and Dying, which discussed the stages of dying. She also later published The Wheel of Life: A Memoir of Living and Dying.
Elizabeth is still living today, a pioneer for the advancement of the studying of death. She holds over 25 honorary doctorates and also received the Ideal Citizen Award and the Modern Samaritan Award. She also tried to set up a home for children infected with AIDs in Virginia, but, sadly, did not reach her goal.
