Elizabeth Fowler

BRUNSWICK – Elizabeth Fowler of Brunswick, passed away peacefully on Feb. 18, 2026, from frontotemporal lobe dementia, a variant of Alzheimer’s Disease. Beth was born to Francis and Julia Fowler on April 18, 1943, in Schenectady, N.Y. She graduated from Ballston Spa (New York) High School, in 1961. Active in Girl Scouts, she was a cheerleader, played trumpet in the school band and was a summer camp waterfront director. Beth graduated from Cornell in 1965, sang in the Sage Chaple Choir and, as an alumna, served on the class of 1965’s executive committee. She earned a Ph.D. in 1972 in the Department of Biological Chemistry, at Harvard University and did postdoctoral research under Nobel Laureate Oliver Smithies, at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. In 1977 Beth joined the UNC faculty in Chapel Hill, N.C., as an Assistant Professor of Bacteriology and Immunology.

On Dec. 28, 1983, Beth married Jim Parmentier, a research scientist at the Duke Medical Center. They moved to Mobile, Alabama, where she was appointed Associate Professor of Microbiology at the University of South Alabama School of Medicine. In 1985 they returned to North Carolina when Beth was appointed Director of the Instrumentation Facility at the CIBA-GEIGY Biotechnology Research Center, in Research Triangle Park. Eight years later Jim and Beth moved to Massachusetts, and she became the Director of Biochemistry and Process Development at Autoimmune, a small biotechnology company in Lexington. Her 18-year career in biotechnology continued to develop at other Boston companies. In 1996 she was appointed Director of Analytical Development for Millenium Pharmaceuticals, and, between 2003 and 2010, she was Vice-President for Quality and Regulatory Affairs at Xcellerex, a biotechnology manufacturing company.

Because of her experience in pharmaceutical development Beth was frequently invited to contribute to policy discussions within the biotechnology community, to hold leadership positions in organizations at coordinated biotechnology development, and to participate in symposia sponsored by these organizations. In 2008 she joined the online faculty of the Biopharma Educational Initiative at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, which became the Rutgers University Medical School. For several years she developed and taught courses in pharmaceutical manufacturing and product development.

Beth and Jim retired in 2010 and moved to Brunswick, planning to continue their interests in music and sailing. Three years later, however, Beth began developing symptoms of cognitive decline. She began attending the Adult Day Services program at Bath-Brunswick Respite Care and, in 2015, was formally diagnosed with frontotemporal lobe disease. In February of 2017 she moved into Avita of Brunswick, a local memory care facility, but by September of 2022 she needed skilled nursing care. She was moved into the Horizons Living and Rehabilitation Facility in Brunswick.

Until her diagnosis Beth Fowler led a full and active life. Her interests beyond science included canoeing, kayaking and sailing along the rivers and coastlines of North Carolina and, later, the coast of Maine. In the mid-1970’s she took a raft-supported kayak trip through the Grand Canyon. While living in Mobile, she took SCUBA lessons, drift-dived sections of Florida’s Suwanee River, snorkeled with manatees in the Crystal River, and experienced cavern and cave diving in Paradise Springs. Over several years and in different sailboats she cruised the eastern seaboard from Florida to and past the Canadian border.

Beth was a warm and caring person. She enjoyed talking with both friends and strangers, and she focused on helping others whenever she could. She enjoyed cooking, birdwatching and both attending and performing in choral music concerts and light opera theater. She sang with several choral groups over the years, most recently the Oratorio Chorale (now Classical Uprising) in Brunswick. Beth leaves behind Jim, her husband of 42 years, her brother, Charles, in Chicago, Ill., her sister Lucy Anne McKosky, of Dayton, Ohio, and her niece and nephew, Sharon and Patrick Cates. She will be remembered and missed by many.

Arrangements and guidance are in the care of Stetson’s Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 12 Federal Street, Brunswick, Maine.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Stetson’s Funeral Home website, http://www.stetsonsfuneralhome.com.

People who wish to make donations in Beth Fowler’s memory are invited to support Bath-Brunswick Respite Care, PO Box 668, Bath, ME 04530.