BURLINGTON, Vt
.,
April 25
/PRNewswire/ --
Elizabeth L. Post
, 89, died in
Naples, Florida
, on
April 24, 2010
, surrounded by her family. For 30 years Mrs. Post carried the mantle of The Emily Post Institute, Inc., writing more than a dozen books on etiquette, including five editions of
Emily Post
's Etiquette
.
After the death of
Emily Post
in 1960,
Elizabeth Post
assumed responsibility for carrying on the Post family tradition of writing and teaching about etiquette. She quickly became, and remained for the next thirty years, America's leading authority on etiquette.
Elizabeth Post
authored books on wedding etiquette, children's etiquette, entertaining and others, and was often invited to appear on television and radio. Mrs. Post penned a popular column in
Good Housekeeping
magazine as well as a syndicated newspaper column. She began her tenure during a time when many Americans embraced an "anything goes" mentality and shunned social mores. She witnessed a blossoming interest in manners as the flower children of the sixties aged.
"Etiquette is meant to smooth the path between people to better relationships," Mrs. Post said. "It isn't meant to be something restrictive or unpleasant." She drew upon her personal interactions with readers and the thousands of letters she received each year to make her advice more practical, direct and contemporary. She was the first Post author to tackle such subjects as public breastfeeding, how to introduce same-sex couples and the etiquette of second and third weddings.
In 1992, one reporter described Mrs. Post this way: "Post strives to be human, the neighbor you would chat with across the fence. She is as she is in print, polite, informed and not at all snobbish."
In the early 1990s, Mrs. Post began to groom a successor, her own daughter-in-law
Peggy Post
, who has authored the 16th and 17th editions of
Emily Post
's Etiquette
. Other Post family members soon followed suit as The Emily Post Institute experienced unprecedented growth. Mrs. Post's daughter
Cindy Post Senning
, EdD, her son
Peter Post
and daughter-in-law
Tricia Post
joined the company in the late 1990s, adding a business etiquette book and business etiquette seminars, a web site and manners books for children to the company's products and services.
Mrs. Post was very proud of the organization's growth with her children and, more recently grandchildren, becoming the country's leading etiquette writers, teachers and experts. Mrs. Post's grandchildren
Anna Post
,
Lizzie Post
and
Daniel Post Senning
mark the fifth generation of Posts to join the Institute.
Mrs. Post was born in
Englewood, New Jersey
, on
May 7, 1920
, the third of
Allen Ledyard Lindley
and
Elizabeth Ellsworth Lindley
's three children. She lived in
Englewood
until 1941, when she married
George Eustis Cookman
, who was killed in action in the Pacific in 1943. In 1944 she married
William Goadby Post
, the only grandchild of
Emily Post
. The couple enjoyed 65 years of marriage which, along with her children, was the central element of her life and a source of inspiration to all who knew her.
Mr. and Mrs. Post resided in
Bogota, Colombia
in the early 1950s with their growing family. They then moved to
Rye, New York
, where they raised their four children. They followed their children to
Vermont
in the mid-1970s, settling in
Waterbury Center
. The couple spent the winter months first in
Marathon, Florida
, and finally in
Naples, Florida
.
Mrs. Post was also an artist, her specialty being watercolors. Her artwork graces the walls of her family's and friend's homes, as well as those of collectors. She exhibited frequently in art shows. Mrs. Post often donated paintings and other pieces to charity auctions. She was an accomplished golfer and an avid fisherman. One year, she landed the largest tarpon caught by a woman in
the United States
. She was particularly proud of the day she and her husband, Bill each registered a "grand slam" on the flats of the Florida Keys, a rare feat for one person much less for two in the same boat on the same day. Mr. and Mrs. Post were also avid SCUBA divers and made numerous trips to exotic parts of the world to pursue the clearest waters and the most colorful fish.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Post is survived by her four children and their spouses:
Allen Post
and Peggy,
Bill Post, Jr.
and Maureen,
Cindy Senning
and John, and
Peter Post
and Tricia. She is also survived by her eight grandchildren, their spouses and one great-grandson:
Casey Post
; Jeep Post and his wife, Jessica;
Peter Post
and his wife,
Elizabeth Archangeli
and great-grandson, Alexander;
Jill Ravey
; Dan Senning;
Will Senning
;
Anna Post
; and
Lizzie Post
. She was predeceased in 1987 by her grandson, Paul. She is also survived by her niece,
Betsy Lindley Bird
, and her nephews
Dan Lindley
and
Pete Lindley
, and by numerous great nephews and nieces.
Services will be held in both
Naples, Florida
, and
Waterbury, Vermont
.
SOURCE Emily Post Institute