Elizabeth L. Carrow, 90, of Wilmington, formerly of Smyrna and Newark, died Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at Arden Courts of Wilmington, after a valiant fifteen year struggle with Alzheimer's disease.

Daughter of the late H. J., Sr., and Anita Jones Carrow, she was born in Philadelphia but spent most of her childhood in Smyrna, where she was valedictorian of the Smyrna High School class of 1950.  She received her B.A. with Honors and Distinction in English from the University of Delaware and her M.A. in English from Bryn Mawr College, where she held a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship.  In 1988 she retired from a long and dedicated career at Newark High School, where, among other things, she helped to design and teach its first English Honors curriculum and where, for more than twenty-two years, students whom she taught and nominated were the recipients of one or both of two awards given annually by the National Council of Teachers of English to the outstanding student writers in Delaware.  She was a phenomenal teacher who took a personal interest in her students and was much loved by students and colleagues alike.

Following retirement, she worked for several years for the English Department of the University of Delaware as a supervisor of student teachers and served on the first board of the newly-founded retired division of the Delaware Education Association.  In the latter capacity, she fought hard for pension increases for the longest-retired teachers, whose meager pensions reflected the low salaries of their day and suffered greatly from inflation.

In 1994, she was one of the founders of the Smyrna-Clayton Heritage Association, the group ultimately responsible for the restoration and operation of the historic Smyrna Opera House.   She worked indefatigably for that project and served as secretary of the SCHA board for many years.  She took great pleasure in being part of a project many people had viewed as an impossible dream: the return of what had been the simple movie theatre of her childhood, long since fallen into disuse and decay, to the glory of the building's 1870 founding as a beautiful and successful venue of the arts.

She loved literature, classical music, history, and travel, both in this country and abroad, especially in Great Britain.  Above all, she loved her hometown.  In addition to the organizations mentioned above, she was a member of Asbury United Methodist Church, Smyrna, and several historical and professional associations.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by four brothers:  H. J., Jr.; Wilbur L., who died in childhood; Robert A. Carrow; and Dr. B. Stimson Carrow, who shared her enthusiasm for their hometown of Smyrna and for the opera house project.  She is survived by two nephews (H. J., III, and William (Kim)), three great-nephews, a great niece, and her lifelong friend and caregiver Jane B. Lee, with whom she shared a home until Alzheimer's made more than home-care necessary.

Even as she lost most of her language, Betty Lou remained the kind and pleasant person she had always been.  She was greatly loved by friends and caregivers at Arden Courts.

A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 23, 2023, at the Smyrna Opera House, 7 W. South Street, Smyrna, Delaware 19977.  Former students are encouraged to come.  Interment will be private.  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Smyrna-Clayton Heritage Association, P.O. Box 611, Smyrna, DE 19977.

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Arrangements by Matthews-Bryson Funeral Home, Smyrna.