Elizabeth Macinata, 75, of Wabash, Indiana, died Sunday, October 1, 2023, at her home. She was born on January 23, 1948, in Wabash to Daniel F. and Marian (Walker) Myers.
Although her family moved to Orlando, Elizabeth returned to Indiana University Bloomington to earn her MA in East Asian History in 1972 after graduating Cum Laude in 1970 with her BA in History at the Presbyterian College in Clinton, North Carolina.
Elizabeth settled in Boise, Idaho, where she worked as a business analyst for Hewlett Packard (hp), retiring after 25 years. After retirement, she was a catalogue assistant at Boise Basin library and taught ESL and worked for Pearson Ellis as systems administrator.
While in Boise, she helped develop a strong spiritual community and raised her son, Daen. Having created a warm and welcoming home for her son and his friends in Boise, Elizabeth enjoyed playing Dungeons and Dragons with them. She continued that passion long into her life as she joined others at the Wabash Carnegie Library.
In September of 2013, Elizabeth decided to immerse herself in Chinese culture to better understand her father’s life work as an engineer in China. She moved to Baoji Shaanxi, China, to teach English.
Immersing herself in the Chinese culture was important to Elizabeth as she had determined to write her father’s life story, documenting his start in southern Indiana, his becoming a self-taught engineer for the Service Motor Truck Company in Wabash, and his eventual move to China where he helped build the Chinese automobile industry and supported Allied forces during the Second World War.
Elizabeth taught in China for two years. She then visited Wabash to learn more about her father. Finding a welcoming community, Elizabeth settled in Wabash in 2017 to work in earnest on her father’s memoir and presented some of her work in 2019 at the Honeywell House.
As a member of the Wabash community, Elizabeth was an active member at the Presbyterian church, serving on several committees. She attended classes at the Y to better help her cope with Parkinson’s Disease, where she looked forward to playing ping pong with her friends. She also met with the Wabash County Genealogical Society and was a much-loved member of the Wabash Writers’ Group.
This past September, Elizabeth, accompanied by her son, presented about her father and the Service Motor Truck Company at the Wabash County Museum Parlay.
She is survived by her son, Daen Ashantiva, and his wife, Kathy, of Calgary, AB, Canada.
There will be a memorial services at 2:00 pm Tuesday, November 7, at the Wabash Presbyterian Church, with Pastor Laura Helm officiating. Arrangements by Grandstaff-Hentgen Funeral Service, Wabash.
The memorial guest book for Elizabeth may be signed at www.grandstaff-hentgen.com.