Obituary of Elizabeth Anne Stirling

Elizabeth Stirling Devoted wife, raised in Lake Hopatcong, worked at Celgene, 56. Elizabeth "Liz" Anne Stirling was always there for you. When you arrived at her home, she was already cooking. She was the one at her husband's bedside, nursing him back to health. She was the one her chiweenie, [Crumpet], followed around the house. Crumpet knew where she'd get the most love. After a lifetime of supporting others, Stirling, née Pensabene, died peacefully Friday, December 11, 2020, surrounded by family, ending a 15-year battle with breast cancer. She was 56. She was born in Brooklyn, NY to Betty and Chris, who raised her in Lake Hopatcong, NJ with her three brothers. Though her life brought her around the world, New York and New Jersey were always home to her. After graduating from Roxbury High School, she spent a few years in San Francisco and Virginia before returning home. In the late 1980s, she joined a fledgling pharmaceutical company named Celgene. Over the next 20 years, she became an integral part of the drug discovery group at Celgene, which developed a number of blood cancer treatments that have saved thousands of lives. It was also there she met her husband, David. After leaving the company in 2009, Elizabeth and David were married in Scotland in 2015. While David is native to Scotland, it was Liz who was known around Dunblane, where they were married. She struck up friendships wherever she went and by the end of wedding planning counted the florist and officiant among hers. She traveled the world, tasted the finest foods and absorbed culture like a sponge, but family was her priority. When her husband fell ill, it was her who nursed him back to health, doting on him and making sure he didn't slack on his rehabilitation. She knew what it meant to care for people in need, and is eternally grateful to the healthcare workers at St. Barnabas Medical Center, who both prolonged her life and comforted her in death. Stirling is survived by her parents, Betty and Chris, her husband, David, her brothers, Joseph, John and Chris, her nieces and nephews and her 8-year-old chiweenie, Crumpet. A viewing will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, at Higgins Funeral Home. In-person funeral services will be held privately Friday, December 18, 2020, but a live stream of the service will be available at https://higginsfuneralhome.com at 10 a.m. Entombment will follow at Fairview Cemetery, Westfield, NJ.