Elizabeth Vancisin

1924 - 2025

Elizabeth Vancisin
Elizabeth Ann Butler Vancisin, daughter of Lee and Trula Butler, passed away on November 19, 2025, just eight days shy of her 101st birthday. She was born on Thanksgiving Day on November 27, 1924.
Elizabeth graduated from Iowa State University in 1946 where she was homecoming queen and a member of Gamma Phi Sorority. She remained a loyal ISU fan her entire life. After graduation she moved to Minneapolis where she worked in Dayton's Department store in the Bridal registry department. She met her husband, Joseph Richard Vancisin, an Assistant Coach for basketball and baseball at the University of Minnesota, and married in 1951. They had two children, Richard and Susan, and moved to Connecticut to raise their family, where Joe became the Head Basketball Coach at Yale.
Elizabeth was involved in The Woman's Club, a service club, and eventually became the President of the Connecticut State Federation of Women's Clubs. She was active in her church as the Treasurer and as the Flower Chairman. She helped run and organize the Red Cross Blood Drive in town as well as serve as the Troop Leader for her daughter's Girl Scout troop. She was an invaluable partner to her husband in running the National Association of Basketball Coaches after he became Executive Director.
Elizabeth was a positive person who always had a smile for everyone. She had an adventurous spirit with a bucket list for life that culminated in skydiving when she was 89! She traveled to many places around the world including Europe, Africa, Argentina and one of her favorite places Kauai, Hawaii. She loved to read and always wanted to learn new things and continued to learn up to the very end of her life. She loved to meet new people and learn their stories.
Elizabeth's greatest joy in her life was her family. She always wanted to hear about what they were doing and rejoiced in all their achievements. Having everyone together was one of the most important and happiest times of her life.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Lee and Trula Butler, her sisters, Mary Lou Hines and Nancy Lee Pegram and her loving husband, Joseph Richard Vancisin.
Elizabeth is survived by her two children Richard (Heidi), Susan (Kenneth Miller), four grandchildren, Christopher Vancisin (Abigail), Dana Schryver (Conner), Rebecca Miller, Joshua Miller (Elizabeth Marie) and three great-grandchildren, Finley, Annabelle and August.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to:
First Baptist Church of Branford
975 Main Street
Branford, CT 06405
Branford Food Pantry
30 Harrison Ave.
Unit 2
Branford, CT 06405
Atlanta Community Food Bank
3400 N Desert Dr. East
East Point, GA 30344