Obituary of Elizabeth Palmberg

Elizabeth Jane "Zab" Palmberg of Washington, D.C., departed her beloved earth for her still more beloved true home with God as Monday, June 23, dawned. She slipped away peacefully in her sleep at home, in the presence of loved ones. She dealt valiantly with two cancers over 8 long years. She had won the battle against Hodgkin's lymphoma, and to the end, vigorously fought a subsequent leukemia, with the help of outstanding and compassionate doctors and nurses at Johns Hopkins and Kaiser Permanente. Though she eventually lost that earthly fight, the light she brought to all who knew her was a genuine triumph over the darkness of this world. Zab was conceived in Chicago, IL and was born in San Leandro, CA, on Sept. 28, 1970, the beloved daughter of Dr. Paul and Mrs. Carol Palmberg. She grew up in St. Louis, MO, and Coral Gables, FL. Zab had a beautiful mind, excelling in math (post-calculus math contest winner), art, science, and English, and received her Bachelor's Degree from Stanford University and a Doctorate in Victorian literature from Cornell University, where she found home and community in Flapdragon House. She worked as an English professor at Kenyon College and Scripps College in the early 2000s, when "the Lord", as Zab described it, "smote her upside of the head and instructed her to go seek a career working for a progressive Christian nonprofit." In 2002, she headed back east from California to Washington, D.C., writing poems and song lyrics on the way, to begin work at Sojourners magazine, first as an intern and then for 10 years as an assistant editor and associate editor. In addition to editing, she frequently wrote for the magazine and the blog (at http://www.sojo.net/), informing, inspiring, and entertaining countless readers with her insights on economics, social justice, and culture, leavened with quirky wit. She especially valued working on Preaching the Word, a sermon preparation resource. Within days of arriving at Sojourners, she was led to St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in D.C. and became an integral member of the community as a lector, baker of delicious homemade bread-which from time to time became, for the St. Stephen's family and guests, the body of Christ-and most importantly, a devoted friend to so many of the parish community. Zab brought passion and creativity to all aspects of her life: She was not only a warm and compassionate communicator and skilled editor, but also a meticulous organizer and activism strategist. She delighted in the gift and beauty of food, from (occasional) fine dining at chic D.C. eateries, to the simple joy of a farmers' market apricot, to sharing a nutrition shake with a sister or brother living on the street. She crafted beautiful items from fabric, tile, glass, and repurposed items. She taught many to make her no-knead bread (including in a video for Sojourners). She mentored several interns in editing and writing, and used sabbatical time to coach inner-city kids writing their college application essays. She traveled to India for the 2004 World Social Forum and joined a Witness for Peace delegation to Colombia to interview, advocate for, inspire, and nonviolently protect local sufferers of social injustice. And when it snowed enough, Zab would put out the call to go sledding on the nearest hill. She fiercely loved her friends from the different chapters of her life-even more than she loved puns, odd-angle literary allusions, and polite-but-laser-precise critiques of economic analyses or scriptural interpretations that she found wanting. Zab came to realize that her "gift of the Spirit" was joy, and even in her darkest moments she did all she could to spread that joy to others. Her blog detailing helpful ideas gleaned from her experiences fighting cancer, advising readers to "Cherish each moment, even the ones that suck", is available at http://cherisheach.com/ , with remarkable spiritual reflections as well as instructions for making a hospital blouse that fits around an IV line. Zab's last posts were on her CaringBridge page at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/elizabethpalmberg/journal. Zab is survived by her parents, her sisters Laura Palmberg and Rebecca Palmberg, her brother-in-law Daniel Gagan, her grandmother Jane Crone, her boyfriend Anthony Masalonis, beloved aunts, uncles, and cousins, and countless friends and co-conspirators from every line of her resume and every road she traveled. Elizabeth's memorial service will be 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 5, at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Church, 1525 Newton Street NW (at the corner of 16th and Newton Streets NW), in Washington, D.C. A reception/light lunch in St. Stephen's auditorium will follow. Memorial donations in the name of Elizabeth Palmberg may be made to any of the following: Christ House (1717 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009); St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church (1525 Newton Street NW, Washington, DC 20010); and Sojourners Internship Program (PO Box 70730, Washington, DC 20024-0730).