Elizabeth Filmer

1931 - 2022

Elizabeth Filmer
October 27, 1931 - June 21, 2022
Elizabeth Ashton McKee Filmer of Berkeley, Calif., died at home on June 21, 2022, at the age of 90. The daughter of Dorothy Rolph McKee Harris and Donald McKee, "Liz" was a fifth-generation San Franciscan. Elizabeth married Michael Mackenzie Filmer (1925–2000) in 1951, and they had four children. Following their divorce, Liz married Albert Abraham Lewis (1912–2000) in 1981.
Liz is survived by her loving family and friends, including her children and their spouses: D. Lyons Filmer and Gregory DeMascio of Berkeley; Alice Filmer and Lewis Charles Alexander of Monterey; and Charles Filmer and Ann King Filmer of Davis; her grandsons: Eugene Ashton-Gonzalez, Owen Filmer, and Emory Filmer; and her stepchildren: Judy Luria, Ellie Hermann, Ann Ben-Shalom, and Bob Lewis. She was predeceased by her son, Christopher Kendall Filmer (1954–1989). She is also survived by two of her five siblings, Deborah Harris Gallagher of Novato and Ann Harris Mohun of Australia.
Art was an animating force in Liz's life. A graduate of Dominican College, she was a curator at the Richmond Arts Center before opening her own gallery, Santa Fe Crossing, in Berkeley. Her art encompassed drawing and oil painting in the Bay Area Figurative style, and later, bricolage and sculpture. Liz worked professionally in flower and plant design and was an exhibitor at the de Young Museum's annual Bouquets to Art for 36 years. A great-niece of former San Francisco Mayor, James "Sunny Jim" Rolph, she joined her extended family at the Rolph Reunion in June, shortly before she died. Earlier this year, Liz completed a children's book that she wrote and illustrated. A private celebration of her life will be held in August. LizFilmerFamily@gmail.com