Elizabeth Saylor

Elizabeth MacKay Saylor of Traverse City, Michigan, died July 10, 2022, at the age of 91. She lived in Traverse City for more than 30 years. For many years she had lived in Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills, outside of Detroit. She was born in Detroit on October 24, 1930, the daughter of Lisle K. MacKay and Laura Boyd MacKay. Her father was a teacher and high school principal in the Detroit public school system. After attending Detroit Southeastern High School, where she was captain of the swimming team, she graduated from Michigan State University in 1952. She worked for many years as a church secretary and for a variety of social services agencies in the Detroit and Traverse City areas. She raised a family of three children, who remember her as a warm, active, and supportive mother who encouraged their differing interests. She was a devotee of crossword puzzles and a fearsome card player who loved a game of hearts or bridge. She also enjoyed cooking and baking, and for many years baked and decorated tins of gingerbread men at Christmas that she delivered to neighbors and family members. And she often surprised her children with unexpected displays of talent, such as the time she won a dance contest doing the Twist. When she was a young girl, her parents bought property on the west side of Torch Lake in Antrim County, where they built a camping shack and eventually a cottage. Her family spent summers at the lake, picking cherries on local farms in the early years to supplement her father’s salary as a teacher. The original property, together with some adjacent properties, are still owned by members of her extended family. She spent many of her happiest days at the lake with her grandchildren and other family and friends. She is survived by her children Nancy (Robert) Eitzen of Cedar, Michigan; Dennis Saylor (Addie Fiske) of Weston, Massachusetts; and Laura (John) McCallion of Savannah, Georgia; and her grandchildren, Carolyn Eitzen, John Saylor, Charles Saylor, Alexander Saylor, Jack McCallion, Joseph McCallion, and David McCallion. Her marriage to Frank D. Saylor III ended in divorce. Her brother, Robert A. (Rita) MacKay, of Walnut Creek, California, predeceased her. A memorial service will be held at the Presbyterian Church, 701 Westminster, Traverse City, Michigan 49686, on Sunday, August 21, 2022, at 11:30 a.m. The family asks that contributions in her memory may be made to the Torch Lake Protection Alliance at tlpa.com

Elizabeth Saylor

October 24, 1930 - July 10, 2022