Elizabeth Taylor Magnusson

Elizabeth Taylor (Prior) Magnusson

LAKE BALBOA, CA - On April 18, 2024, Elizabeth Taylor (Prior) Magnusson, passed peacefully, at the age of 95, with her family by her side.

Elizabeth was born on March 2, 1929 to an old New England family who came from England in 1634. She had an idyllic childhood in a small Pennsylvania town where she spent summers in Nova Scotia and at the type of quintessential "Parent Trap" girls' camps in the woods and lakes of Canada. She attended high school at George School Preparatory, a Quaker Prep school whose Quaker philosophy influenced her throughout her life.

She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she fell in love with the Southern culture and people. She maintained strong ties with her high-school and college friends and was a Tar Heel "born and bred", both to the end.

She joined the Red Cross as a Social Worker (she got paid to throw parties!) and was stationed at a naval base where she met and married Dr. Gordon Magnusson, a young Dental Officer. They moved to Rapid City, SD in 1957 and built a life and raised their family.

Elizabeth was the ultimate Do-er. She was a whirlwind of energy: a lifelong learner ("Let's take a class or a course!"), world traveler, intellect, reader, grammarian, scuba diver, golfer, hiker, bicyclist, and member of the American Association of University Women. The list goes on.

At eight months pregnant, she took her first flying lesson at Rapid City Regional Airport, eventually became instrument and commercial rated, and ended with her last-touch-and-go at age 75 having logged over 13,000 hours. Along the way she flew humanitarian missions to Mexico and was a guest of the King of Jordan where she flew flights across Jordan and Israel. She was a member of the 99's, the renowned organization of women pilots.

She moved to Scottsdale in 1989, where she lived a full and happy life. The last two years of her life she lived with her son in California.

More than all her accomplishments, she was a GOOD person: kind, generous, tenderhearted, and a champion of the underdog. While traveling, she met a young Peruvian boy and helped to support him to adulthood. "I have never met anyone like your mother", was a common refrain. We hit the jackpot with her as a mother, grandmother, aunt and sister-in-law.

The world is a bit dimmer without her.

She is survived by her three adult children: daughter, Leslie Magnusson Hildyard of Rapid City, son, Bill Magnusson (Mary) of Erie, CO, son, Eric Magnusson of Lake Balboa, CA; grandchildren: Carly Hildyard, Brock Hildyard (Lyzi), Allen and Patrick Magnusson; 10 nieces and nephews; and a sister-in-law. Elizabeth is preceded in death by her parents, Madeline and Allen, and her brother Bill.

A private family service will be held at a later date.

Donations can be made to The Southern Poverty Law Center at 400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL., 36104 with tribute instructions.