Working for Elizabeth was an absolute pleasure.   She greeted me with kindness and compassion over the years and always made a point of telling me to "stay positive!" even as she was going through so much in her personal life.  Graceful, compassionate and fair, she was always there as an ear to listen or shoulder to cry on and I will miss her tremendously.  We all will.  Thank you Liz, for everything- for helping me navigate school, for leading my department, for standing up for us when we needed to be heard.  Thank you.

Her friends in Pullman and Moscow remember that her life was a bright light to all who knew her.  I am sorry for your loss.  May the warm embrace of friends and family  (ours included,) comfort you. 

Elizabeth was an extremely loving, giving, fun, and overall beautiful soul to be around. I met her back in 2008 because she was close friends to my friend Erica. We had many good times together and one in particular I will cherish always was at Erica’s bachelorette party.  Elizabeth loved rap music like myself and she would belt it out with me without hesitation  like a boss 💪🏽👊🏽😁😎🎶 Her presence here on this earth will be missed greatly but she will always be in our hearts and with us and I will smile every time I’m listening to my music and think only fond  memories of her beautiful face and soul 🙏🏽💕 RIP and love always Elizabeth 

Elizabeth (or as we always called her, Izzy Bee)  was our daughter Jessica's best friend in middle school and high school.  She and Jessica spent countless hours together at our house and we were so pleased when her parents agreed she could go with us on our family vacation to Hawaii for a month. It is so hard to imagine this young, vibrant spirit as gone from this world,.  Her "take no crap" attitude,  her humor (she nicknamed my husband, Pappy, and always called him that whenever she saw him), her "smarts", her savvy approach to everything she encountered , and her competitive, winning spirit will continue to keep her alive in our hearts for years to come.    


Elizabeth was so important. She was so important to me. She was so important to our doctoral program - and very likely the reason my dissertation passed inspection through her numerous edits and that I made it through long Saturdays with the promise of happy hour at the end. She was so important to the thousands of students that she impacted directly and indirectly each day. She was so important to the many individuals she impacted that saw firsthand how important it was to have women in leadership. She made ME feel important each and every time we spoke, even as she went through one hell of a battle. I feel like the world got cheated out of seeing just how big of an impact she would make. And I promise to make sure her incredible impact on my life impacts my approach to education, friends, and leadership. Cheers to your beautiful life, friend - I will celebrate the legacy you have left - starting with a sampler, tapas, and an extra glass of wine. I love you so much, friend. 

I have fond memories of times with Elizabeth, Erin, Amber, Tiahna, and Lisa at her house on Sunnyside hill.  Sleepovers, prank phone calls, cruising, BOYS, just teenage girl stuff.  So sad to hear of her passing.  Way too young!   Hope she is surrounded by dachshunds now, she always loved them.  Rest in peace, friend.  ♡

Elizabeth was one of the first friends I made in Pullman at Sunnyside Elementary School. We used to shout together, jump on beds, get rowdy and loud to make each other laugh. We grew apart as we grew older, but she was kind enough to reach out to me again in Seattle decades later. She was sweet, kind and beautiful. It breaks my heart to hear she is gone so soon. I'm sending love and peace to her and her family. God bless you, Elizabeth. Thank you for being in my life. 

I remember the first night Brad and I met Elizabeth.  It was at a Hargis Christmas party in West Seattle.  She had introduced herself to us and asked us where we were from.  When I told her I was from Louisiana, she instantly shouted, “I love the Southeastern Conference!”  She also proceeded to tell me about her fascination with good fried chicken and New Orleans.  After the conversation, I asked Brad, “Do you think she was making fun of us?”  I mean, she was so emphatic to know we had gone to LSU and Auburn.  Our experience with Seattleites up to that point was indicative of the “Seattle Freeze”.  This person could not be sincere, could she?

Seven years later, I can confirm her sincerity.  

Dr. Elizabeth Pluhta (Inman) was other-worldly.  She was intelligent, accomplished, professional, fun, sarcastic, brazen, unapologetic, and physically stunning.  She was the type of woman whom women wanted to both be and hate.  

I, too, would have hated her but I fell in love with our friend.  As everyone reading this post was in love with her too.

And why wouldn’t we be in love with her?  She loved hip hop, gluten-filled donuts (Top Pot only, no Mighty-O), Axl Rose, champagne and a brown dachshund named Quincy.  She was spunky, driven and believed in women’s rights.  She was such a proud, independent person she rarely let her guard down to let us know the pain she was undergoing.  She did not want anyone to feel sorry for her.  She just wanted to resume a normal existence.  

Our time with Elizabeth was cut far too short.  But our lives are forever blessed by knowing her.  

We will forever love you, Boo.

Hugs,
Christy & Brad (Hardin) Slatton


I worked in an office adjacent to Elizabeth for several years at South, and we both represented South on the faculty contract negotiation team. She was consistently smart, insightful, and dedicated to student success. I'll personally remember all the times she stopped by my office before heading home. I often stayed late to spend some time focused on my dissertation, and we shared stories of graduate studies, dissertation committees, and just trying to finish. Of course, she got her doctorate well before I did. She was a champion and she'll be missed. 

I have had the good fortune of knowing Elizabeth (or EP, as I affectionately referred to her as in our 20 years of emails) since we first worked together at Bates in the late 1990's.  Even then, Elizabeth was whip smart, funny with a bold laugh, and focused on moving forward with her career, while serving our beloved colleges and students. 

Elizabeth was wise, polished, and professional well beyond her years.  This is undoubtedly why she was able to accomplish so much in her painfully short time with us. 

It is a privilege to call EP a good colleague and friend for so many years. 




Elizabeth was a wonderful woman, I was lucky enough to know her for 4 years, working with and for her, she was a terrific person, mentor and friend, she was tough and gentle and knew how and when to use those  skills, truly an intuitive leader. 

She was also caring, intelligent and driven, with a passion for education, student learning and the college, she had an indominable spirit, full of life and energy. 

She left an impression on those who knew and worked with her, I was one of those and consider myself better off to have known her, she will be extremely missed...

I worked with Elizabeth for 10 years at South from when she arrived until I retired. She was one of the best people with whom I worked in 50 years in higher ed. She was always looking for new challenges and accomplishing new outcomes that benefitted students. She was bright, beautiful, sensitive and caring.

E Pluhta was fun.  She had an gorgeous smile that would light up a room and an amazing since of humor.  She enjoyed having her hair played with and brushed and I always knew any nights spent inside watching movies would require this pampering.  She loved shopping for bargains for herself and for the very best for her adored hubby.  A meal was never complete without dessert (I couldn't agree more).   Watching romantic comedies, shopping in various Seattle hubs, going to Seahawks games and playing tourist in Seattle were some of our favorite Sunday activities.  I admired her intelligence and passion for helping others.  She always downplayed her successes because she was sweet and humble.  She despised driving and avoided it at all costs (thank goodness, I've been her passenger).  Boo loved massages, spa days and lounging poolside on vacation.  She loved sleeping in and cuddling with Quincy.  I think of her every time I hear 90's hip hop as she was my most gangsta friend.  She was easy to talk to and always had thoughtful advice.  I will miss her forever.

I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with Elizabeth at South Seattle College over the last 8 years.  Her commitment and passion for her work, colleagues and our students was felt far and wide – we are a better College and community because of Elizabeth.  

Her approach to life was contiguous – she was driven, happy and felt blessed to make a difference – a natural leader.  Her successes are too many to name, however, Elizabeth had a special ability to connect and bond with anyone – she made you feel special and important from the minute you met her.

On personal note, when my son was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma 2 years ago, Elizabeth was one of the first people to reach out to me.  She was always there to provide support when my family and I needed it the most.  We developed a special bond and worked to support one another through our individual fights.   I will be forever grateful for the strength and compassionate conversations she shared with me throughout our journey. 

Elizabeth’s legacy runs deep and will be a part of the South Seattle College fabric and community forever.  Peace, EP, you will be missed and thank you for all of the love that you gave.  


I worked for Elizabeth for three years at South Seattle College and had the opportunity to get to know her as a trusted colleague and friend when our roles shifted.  She was such a great boss and mentor – encouraging and supporting me as I developed my skills and giving me key advice when I needed it most.  And I was far from alone; Elizabeth played this role in so many lives, and we are all in a better place because she gave us the gift of her time and knowledge. 

Her contributions to colleagues, the college and the students we serve are innumerable, but I will always remember her as the reason the 13th Year Promise Scholarship (a program that has helped hundreds of high school graduates attend college and find that spark that leads to fulfilling careers and life trajectories) was so successful, both on the fundraising and student services side.  Through her work, we see the 13th Year now inspiring the creation of Seattle Promise – a program that will expand on that vision and serve thousands of students, hopefully for many decades to come.  In my version of history, none of this would exist without Elizabeth Pluhta. 

Here’s what I know about Elizabeth: Her strength was phenomenal.  Her mind was a juggernaut. She had a cracking sense of humor, and it was always a gift when she selectively let it fly in the work environment.  She was a tireless advocate for the teams she led.  She was insurmountably loved by her family and network of friends. 

I’m going to miss her so much, and I wish her family and friends my best as you grieve and find the peace that will come.  Thank you, Elizabeth. 


Elizabeth was my friend, peer, and fundraising partner-in-crime. 
My fondest memories range from presenting with her at national conferences (multiple times... it was that much fun) to catching up over lunch to chat about work and life. She taught me so much.
Her legacy lives on in the students' lives she transformed. Many are fulfilling their dreams because of her dedication to access and education.
She made the world is a better place.

Elizabeth was an incredible leader, mentor, boss, and friend. She was the hardest working person I know, and was deeply committed to lifting up those around her. When an obstacle would arise that felt overwhelming, Elizabeth would immediately come up with a solution. She made every challenge seem solvable. It feels so unfair that she is gone, as I know she still had work to do and barriers to break. I feel fortunate to have known her and called her a mentor, and will try to reflect the kindness, humor, and pleasant assertiveness that she taught me. She will be deeply missed. 

It’s difficult to express the depth of sadness I feel hearing of Elizabeth’s passing.  She was a mentor, supervisor, friend and someone I will always admire.  Her strength, passion, leadership and ability to inspire others lives on through all of us who have been lucky enough to work with and to have known her.  She’s forever in my thoughts and will be deeply missed.  

This is the saddest news.  Elizabeth was such a nice person.  Yukon loved her and when he saw her and she had her cell phone, he would sit for her because he knew she wanted a picture of him.  Elizabeth was so supportive of my using dogs to learn calculus.  She even funded a math contest through the foundation office for our students.  The students mathematically modeled  Yukon's growth weight.  In fact one of my students who was one of the winners of the contest works with Angela Pak in the Student services department.  Her name is Monia (sp?)

Elizabeth I am sure touched many peoples hearts.  She will live on in all of us.


Heidi Lyman


As a colleague of Elizabeth from another college, I was profoundly saddened to hear of her passing. I have enjoyed working with her on statewide issues and will miss her calm approach to the most challenging topics. She was a caring colleague and leaves behind a great legacy that students and staff at the Seattle Colleges will benefit from for many years to come.

I'm so heartbroken to learn of the passing of sweet, Elizabeth.  She was my boss and mentor at the South Seattle College Foundation.  She was a visionary and always positive, encouraging, empowering and motivating.  Her leadership inspired me to go to graduate school.  She will always be regarded as one of the best leaders I had the pleasure to work with.

I am honored to have known and worked with Elizabeth over the years. She always had a sharp focus on doing whatever it took to enable students to succeed. She was a great steward of public resources and always asked the right questions. She was always eager to innovate and embraced change. But most of all I will miss her easy smile and genuine demeanor. She always took interest in others and was easy to get to know.

My sincere condolences to her family and all those who will grieve her loss, as I will.

Elizabeth was my supervisor for the first year I worked at South Seattle College. She was fiercely dedicated to the community college system and to making South a place where students' dreams could come true. I am so sorry to hear of her passing and send my condolences to her family and to the South community. 

Dr. Pluhta and I shared a lot over the years and I will miss her dearly as a colleague, but mostly as a friend. We had many long discussions about our shared vision for how things should be and what we were going to be do to make it so! These discussions were in meetings, while carpooling, over the phone, over a drink, or in the hallway... I very much appreciated Elizabeth as a thought partner and also for her ability to push me and the Seattle Colleges to think differently. She was always working to put students first. 

I will miss her sense of humor, her dedication to her work, her advocacy for students, her love of dogs, and her UW fandom! She was a great person who has had long term impact on the Seattle Colleges, our students, and our community. Everyone who has been impacted by Elizabeth is better for it. We will miss you... 

I am heartbroken at the passing of a great colleague, and send my sincerest condolences for her family and friends. Please know that a community of hundreds of colleagues whom Elizabeth has impacted over the years joins you in mourning her passing. 

I have worked with Elizabeth since she started in 2004 at South. We grew our careers side by side, sharing a path through our master's program at the UW Evan's School,  commiserating over many lunches about the challenges of our experiences, and celebrating together the accomplishments in each other's work. She was a fantastic partner in many things to me, and there is now a hole where she has stood all these 15 years. She had always challenged me to be a better colleague, leader and person. 

We also both loved the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and often checked in on our shopping strategies beforehand and our haul after the sale, only to find we had come away with some of the same items.  Today I am wearing my "Elizabeth sweater" in her honor, as we often joked about when to wear it on the same day.

I am sharing a photo we took together in 2008, taken at a karaoke night we organized with others from South. I think it captures the best of the joy we shared over the years.

Elizabeth and I had opportunities to work together a number of times at South Seattle College. One that stands out was while she worked for South's foundation. I helped evaluate faculty requests for professional development funds. She made the process flawless and easy, and her larger work with the foundation set the stage for it becoming the go to model for college development offices around the state and beyond. To this day, I believe the foundation has the largest endowment of all community and technical colleges in the state.

As a resident of Pierce County, I saw a local new story about finalists for the Presidency at Pierce College, Puyallup, and it was really great to see her name listed. Although she would definitely be missed here at South, I was so proud to see her name and is just another example of our system recognizing her strengths and accomplishments.

Beyond her professionalism, Elizabeth always had a ready smile. In fact, she was very gracious after I accidentally scraped her car (slightly!) last year in the college parking lot. While the small things mattered, they did not overshadow the importance of relationships and finding agreeable solutions to life's little hiccups. Cancer sucks, and although clearly not a little life hiccup, Elizabeth handled it with courage and an upbeat attitude. She will be missed. My heartfelt condolences are extended to her entire family.

Sharp, smart, gorgeous, graceful, efficient and capable, with a smile that would light up a room. Focused leader and top notch team member.  Huge supporter and advocate of student success.  We will miss you! 

Many condolences to her family, friends and loved ones. I am sure this had deeply impacted you all. Know we are carrying you in our hearts.

Did you know that Elizabeth loved mochas, vanilla lattes, and frappiccinos?  I did.

While Elizabeth was known on South's campus for being the consummate professional, hard working, and extremely talented, she also had a great sense of humor.  

A couple years ago, South tore down Bernie's Cafe, resulting in the lack of espresso on campus.  At one point, I wrote to Elizabeth to find out when espresso might be returning to campus.  And in my sleep-deprived state that morning, I confess that my message wasn't very professional.  My entire e-mail was pretty much a series of animated gif's featuring people who loved coffee (my favorite was a person hugging a giant human-sized coffee cup) along with a message asking when espresso might return to our campus.

Well, Elizabeth loved the e-mail.  We ended-up having a charming hour-long conversation about our mutual love of coffee later that day.  And ever since then, we would randomly send each other coffee gifs when the mood struck us.

We were scheduled to grab coffee once the Alki Cafe remodel is complete.  I still can't process that we won't have the opportunity to do so.  Elizabeth was such a lovely person.  I'm going to miss her.  

When I met Elizabeth five years ago, I was searching for a job where I would be surrounded by strong women. Elizabeth was one of those women, and she helped me on the path that lead me to South. I was inspired by her work with the 13th Year program and wanted to be a part of it, and I am grateful that her work has made a huge impact on so many of our students. She was truly committed to education. I will miss our lunch dates and her morning greetings in the parking lot, as well as her “never give up” attitude and positivity. We are fortunate for the time we had with her. 

I worked with Elizabeth when she was with the South Foundation.  I was so impressed by her intelligence, poise and self-confidence at 28!  She knew what she wanted to do and had the tenacity to move methodically towards her goals.  She was passionate about the mission of the community colleges and in starting the 13th Year Promise Scholarship, made a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of high school students transitioning to South.  She was quick with a smile and welcoming to all.  She will be missed!

I loved the way Elizabeth said the word 'well'.  She would draw it out as one very long word wwweeeeeeeelllllllll.  It signaled that she was not in agreement with you, and that she was formulating a way to share that kindly and to offer some appreciation for your perspective while also sharing a different, and often better, approach to the situation at hand.  I will miss your alternative perspective and kind sharing of different ideas.  RIP Elizabeth.

I'm very sad to hear of Elizabeth's untimely death. She was a lovely woman, a delight to work with, very talented and professional and personable. I worked with her on several projects over the years at South Seattle College. She was always delightful and  thorough and competent. She will most definitely be missed as a person and as a great asset to the college and her colleagues.

Suzanne Q.

OBITUARIO

Elizabeth Ann Pluhta

23 mayo, 1979 – 26 abril, 2019

Forest Lawn Funeral Home & Cemetery

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