Elizabeth “Liz” Holly Mortensen, 67, of Brooklyn, NY, an artist of lifelong standing and near thirty year Fashion Institute of Technology Coordinator for disabled student services, as well as two time union VP for staff, passed away early Sunday, May 5, 2024 at NYP Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. She was the wife of Arthur Mortensen, with whom she would have celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on October 27, 2024. Her devoted husband, Arthur was with her until the end.
She was born in Uniontown, PA daughter of the late Thomas F. and Mary Jo Hribar Holly. Liz was a graduate of Penn State University and the Parson’s School of Design, where she received her Master of Fine Arts. Liz was a devout Catholic and member of St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Brooklyn, who prayed the rosary daily and had incredible faith. She sang in St. Mary’s choir until surgery damaged her vocal cords.
A notable accomplishment was her 2002 staging of a conference on Universal Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, a three-day conference and show of clothing, footwear, tabletop and hardware that could be used by anyone, including the disabled. Over decades, she mentored and managed hundreds of disabled FIT students each year until chronic illness forced her into retirement in 2013. As a painter, she had six solo shows and a dozen group shows in Manhattan and Brooklyn. She painted both figurative and abstract work, with an astonishing feel for color. After her retirement from FIT, despite increasing disability, including the loss of the use of her legs and left hand, Liz Holly (her artist’s name) continued to paint. Her husband or aide would set her up each morning with an easel and paint (mostly water colors). She even had one last show in 2015, done in a neighborhood gallery space, in which she sold nearly twenty-five pieces on opening night.
She and her husband, Arthur, refused to let MS steal her life, but a thirty year struggle wore her down. The immediate cause of death was a devastating sepsis, followed by cardiac arrest. The long-term cause: the consequences of her struggle with Multiple Sclerosis.
Surviving in addition to her husband, her sister: Dolores “Dolly” (Greg) Workman, Mountville. Niece: Holly D. Workman, Columbia, SC (fiancée of Dr. Bryan Norton, Stanford, CA). Nephew: Reilly T. Workman, Columbia, MO. Several aunts, uncles and cousins. She was preceded in death by one nephew: Prescott G. Workman.
Liz was a very proud Aunt, following the careers of her niece and nephew with nightly phone calls to her sister Dolly, who loved her very much. She will be missed.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 409 Cherry Street, Columbia, PA on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at 1:00 P.M. with Rev. Daniel C. Mitzel, Celebrant. Final Commendation and Farewell will be in Mountville Cemetery. Friends may call for a viewing at the Workman Funeral Homes, Inc., 114 West Main Street, Mountville, PA on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 from 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. with recitation of the Rosary at 7:30 P.M. To send an online condolence, visit the condolence page.