Elsbeth Feys

Elsbeth Wetzstein Feys was born January 4, 1940 in Germany. A refugee in her own country at the time of her birth, her early years were shaped by the struggles her family faced during and after World War II as they worked to rebuild all they had lost. The seventh of 11 children, Elsbeth was always a hard worker, and from a young age helped out in her family’s vineyards and with the farm. At 21, she joined a Catholic religious order, where she received her diploma as a nurse. She loved being a nurse, and cared for her patients with skill and kindness, always going above and beyond her duty. Her nursing work took her from Germany to London, where she met her husband Paul Feys and left the religious order, and together they moved to the United States.

Elsbeth continued working as a nurse until her daughter Cara was born in 1971. From then on, she stayed home to raise her children, including George, who was born in 1973. She took on motherhood and homemaking with the same energy and creativity that had always driven her. She built beautiful gardens out of rocky soil and grew vegetables to feed her family and flowers to feed her soul, she sewed many clothes for herself and her children, she decorated and renovated her home many times over, and refurbished antique furniture with her own style, each time teaching herself the skills she needed to take on every new project. She also loved to entertain friends, and not only cooked spectacular meals, but was the perfect host, presenting a beautiful table and making sure her guests were always well looked after. Through both actions and words, she taught her children the value of hard work and creative problem solving, and gave them the sense that they could accomplish anything they set their mind to with determination and effort.

In 1990, at age 50, Elsbeth began studying towards a degree in Interior Design, graduating with honors with a Bachelor’s degree in 1994 from Hood College. She worked extremely hard and was very proud of this accomplishment. For 15 years, she was an interior design consultant, for most of that time with Calico Corners.

During her retirement, she enjoyed caring for her grandchildren and continued as an avid gardener. She always found peace and joy in her garden and created a new garden when moving from Rockville to Frederick in 2012 and again after moving to Edenton Retirement Community in 2013.