Elizabeth Bugg

Liz was born in Collinsville, Alabama in 1934 to Russell and Alline Collins. Along with her older brother Russell, they moved around northeast Alabama before settling at 1505 Alabama Street in Gadsden. Both she and Russell graduated from Auburn. After graduation while working in Birmingham, she married Jim Bugg and the entire Bugg family in 1957.
At first Jim and Liz lived in Huntsville contributing to the space race. Their son was born in 1965, and in 1967 they moved to Atlanta (Stone Mountain) where Jim was a teacher and after a few years Liz went back to work and became a specialist in chemical industry regulations working as an administrative assistant at Kem Manufacturing in Tucker. They enjoyed their work, but it was a means to an end – namely fun and adventure.
They travelled widely in North America both before and after Tommy’s birth, often at the spur of the moment. For many years their adventures involved motorcycling, camping, or fishing. Often their trips were to be with family camping or celebrating major events (or just celebrating daily life). Their nieces and nephews (and Tommy) and their children were constantly entertained with foolishness, from driving taking random turns at night to vivid stories of previous antics, to upturning furniture to turn living rooms into forts. They most enjoyed visiting others and creating shared experiences.
The other end they pursued was retiring early – or as one colleague put it “they quit!” In 1988 at the ripe young age of 56 and 54, they sold their house, contents and everything, to hit the road with a trailer and further explore friendships and the country. They circumnavigated the US several times, often traveling with her brother Russell and his wife Janice, or meeting up with his brother Ralph and wife Jo. They wintered in Florida, summered in Hershey PA (where Tom worked), and gallivanted around in between to random sights, flying fields, canasta games, or additions to the family.
They settled down again in 1997 in Hershey PA to be close to Tom and Nora when their son, Jonathan, was born. Acting like “newlyweds” for the second time they equipped their apartment with new furniture and eventually bid farewell to their well-travelled trailer. While they were on full time call for Jonathan, to their delight and his, they enjoyed the company of many new friends and time spent at the local flying fields. From there in 2002 they followed their family to the Philadelphia area. When Jim passed away in 2005 Liz missed him dearly. She then moved in with her family where she lived until 2017. Her bedroom was across the hall from Jonathan’s and for all those years enjoyed when Jonathan popped in for little chats. Liz joined the YMCA where she enjoyed water aerobics and met some new friends. She enjoyed family trips to the beach and Disney World and the attention of family pets. In 2017 Liz moved to Maris Grove Assisted Living where she met many caring residents and staff. Her remaining days were filled with many enjoyable activities and close access to her family to ensure comfort in her new home.