Elizabeth Brassel ’86

ELIZABETH BRASSEL, Lowell, MA, died July 28, 2023 of brain cancer. Born in Montreal, Beth, also known as “Bups,” earned her Saint Michael’s philosophy degree, summa cum laude, before continuing her education to receive two master’s degrees, one in American Studies at SUNY Buffalo and later a degree in library science at Simmons College.  After graduation she enlisted in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and served as a teacher and mentor on a Native American Reservation, near Kalispell, Montana and Glacier National Park.  She worked for over 20 years as a youth librarian, first at the Bedford Library in Massachusetts, then at the Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell. She initiated and promoted many programs at Pollard Library to engage young adults in reading, creative writing and other interests such as interactive fiction, and she was devoted to the support and development of youth. Growing up, Beth was a gifted downhill skier, swimmer and all-around athlete, and as an adult she discovered rowing and became an avid rower. She also was a voracious reader and enjoyed a wide range of genres from contemporary literature, biographies, fiction, classics and mysteries. A kind and generous soul, she was an outdoor enthusiast, fearless adventurer and activist. She traveled to Alaska to camp on the glaciers and sang in a choir that traveled to South Africa.  An older brother predeceased her. She is survived by a sister and extended family.

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