Sister Elizabeth Ann Erbland, MM

Born: April 1, 1935
Entered: September 2, 1963
Died: October 11, 2024

Today we welcome Sister Liz’s nephew, Dr. Peter Erbland and his wife Diane. We thank Fr. David LaBuda for celebrating the funeral liturgy with us.

Sister Elizabeth Ann Erbland was born on April 1, 1935 in Fairport, New York to Walter Erbland and Ada Hendricks Erbland. She was one of eleven children, two of whom died in infancy. The family was closely connected to Assumption of Our Lady Parish in Rochester New York, from which Elizabeth entered the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic on September 2, 1963. She made her First Profession at Maryknoll on June 24, 1966 and her Final Profession at Watch Hill, Rhode Island on June 24, 1978. Liz’s Entrance Group has remained very close with contact through the years.

Prior to entering the Maryknoll Sisters, Elizabeth graduated from Fairport High School in 1953 and Genesee State Teachers College in 1957, acquiring a BS Degree. Later she attended Mary Rogers College and much later the Instituto de Idiomas in Cochabamba Bolivia where she studied Spanish.

The family was known for service and generosity. Elizabeth spoke often of her parents’ concern for those in need, offering fruits and vegetables to them from the garden where the children helped their parents grow food. With their mother, they would cook for all. Their father worked long days at a nearby can factory.

Through her younger years and with her siblings she worked at various jobs in Fairport and beyond to help the family financially.

An outstanding part of their education in the Fairport School system was the offer of musical instruments to desiring students. As a result, Elizabeth and her siblings with parents spent many an evening after their Rosary playing musical instruments and singing. Her brother Walter became a professional musician, playing the oboe with the New York and Philadelphia Harmonic Orchestras. Included in this family of talent was Father Philip Erbland, MM, who for years kept groups of Maryknoll men and women along with children in Peru happy with his piano skill. Liz herself directed plays and occasionally music here at Maryknoll and in schools where she taught.

Sister Elizabeth’s assignments began in 1971 when she went to Davao, the town of Panabo in the southern Philippines as a Teacher, becoming Directress and Coordinator of Department Heads. This was short lived as illness in the family caused her to return the following year to Fairport where she taught in 1972 and 1973. From then until January 1977 she worked at Maryknoll in the Development Office on Foundations and as part of the World Awareness Team. From there she went to Rochester NY in January 1977, remaining until December 1984 as Assistant Superintendent for Urban Education and Special Education. From 1985 to 1989, Elizabeth was Director of the Development Department at Maryknoll.

In 1990-1999, Liz lived in McAllen, TX with Sr. Sue Moore where she did pastoral work with the Spanish community and was Director of Religious Education in St. Joseph the Worker Parish followed by teaching special Education in nearby Mission, Texas. She then spent the next eight years responding to the assignment of Temporary Family Residence to care for her brother Walter.

From 2009 – 2012, Liz went to Asheville NC as part of the Eastern Region, working for Catholic Social Services. Then Liz returned to Maryknoll and did part time service at the Ossining Food Pantry. It was there that she suffered a close call from death from a cardiac arrest. With intervention from First Responders and medical personnel at Phelps Memorial Hospital, she recovered and continued to give service as able.

She was assigned to Rogers January 1, 2012 and to Eden January 1, 2024. Liz was both feisty and funny. She was known for her humor, sense of fun, kindness and commitment to peace and justice. This latter commitment led her to seek carefully information on social issues and respond. We who knew her well admired this commitment and sometimes encouraged her to allow lighter subjects into her thoughts and conversation.

Liz was ready for death, talked of wanting to be close to our God. She hoped not to linger when taken ill and carefully planned what she would allow. She was accompanied her on her last journey by good friends and we knew that she was happy and peaceful. Her heart and system could not recover and she died peacefully on October 11, 2024 at 6:59 p.m., accompanied by several of us, her Sisters, at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow New York. The care given her in ICU and on the third floor along with that here at Maryknoll through the years kept her life as full as possible.  She was most grateful.