Elizabeth “Liz” Russell Haigh, 60, died at her home in Salt Lake City, Utah, on November 6, 2021, after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.
Liz was born on September 30, 1961, in Glens Falls, New York, the oldest child of Andy Haigh and Pam Russell (Jessup). Her father was a jazz musician and college librarian and her mother an architect and landscape architect. Liz grew up in Massachusetts and was a 1989 graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she designed her own major in American studies and outdoor leadership. She spent her childhood summers on Mt. Desert Island in Maine, a place she loved.
Liz had a deep appreciation for and knowledge of the outdoors and the natural environment. She was a guide for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and worked for the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) as a caretaker for AMC huts, including Tuckerman’s Ravine on Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. She had a lifelong love of animals and owned two horses, numerous cats, and a bearded dragon lizard.
Liz moved to Salt Lake City in 1998 and married John Knoblock on January 21, 2000. She shared with John a zest for outdoor adventures including skiing, hiking, and biking. She was a loving mother to their son, Andy, who was born on April 1, 2000 and is currently a senior at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
She was a co-owner of Xeriscape Design, a landscape design-and-build firm specializing in native and drought-tolerant plants. This business allowed her to put into practice her commitment to environmental stewardship and responsible water use. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of plants and knew the Latin names and characteristics of most of the wildflowers and other plants in the mountain west. Liz was a vocal member of Citizens’ Climate Lobby and campaigned for immediate action on climate change in Washington, DC.
Liz’s greatest gifts were for respect, compassion, and friendship. She inspired love and loyalty among many throughout the years of her life. Her quirky sense of humor brought laughter wherever she went.
She is survived by her husband John, their son Andy, her mother Pamela Jessup, her brother William Haigh, her uncle William and aunt Beth Russell, and her step sisters Sarah Jessup and Amy Richards. A celebration of Liz’s life is planned for Spring 2022. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to Citizens‘ Climate Lobby (see https://citizensclimatelobby.org/donate/)