Elizabeth Lee Compton

Elizabeth Lee Miles Compton, born April 8, 1926, passed February 12, 2025.

Elizabeth was born at home to Clyde Lester Miles and Naomi Verlinda (Welsh) Miles in Laurel, Maryland. She welcomed her brother Clyde Jr (“Bobby”) just a year later, and practiced being a big sister for eleven years before greeting sister Maryland.

Elizabeth attended Laurel Elementary School and Laurel High School. She was a member of the Civil Air Patrol, Aircraft Watch. World War II was in progress when she began studying at Women’s Hospital School of Nursing in Baltimore City. She received three Nursing Excellence Awards. There she met the love of her life, J. Richard “Dick” Compton. They both entered the Catholic Church before they married in 1948. They were married for 69 years and raised two sons, Gregory Alan Compton and Peter Miles Compton.

In the beginning, Elizabeth was an Army wife and lived in Colorado, Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Japan. It was in Japan where she mastered flower arranging, an art she practiced all her life, and she was a credentialed judge. She was an excellent gardener, and often used her own flowers for beautiful décor, but she could also take ordinary weeds and prairie grasses to make delightful arrangements. She often visited herb shows with her sister Maryland, and these trips made wonderful memories for the two of them.

When the couple returned to Laurel, Elizabeth partnered with Richard as he established his private medical practice on Main Street. She ran the office, working as both nurse and x-ray technician, until the practice grew to the point where they needed an office manager. And so she met her life-long best friend Gayle Snyder. Gayle has remained her constant companion and soulmate. We are so grateful for her presence.

Elizabeth and Richard later organized Compton Associates PC as a respected and successful healthcare provider for NASA Headquarters, the Veterans Administration Central Office, and the National Science Foundation in Washington DC.

Elizabeth enjoyed travels to United Kingdom, France, and Italy, but she always loved Laurel best and loved studying and sharing its history. Her volunteer activities are too numerous to mention. She and generations before her were members of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was a founding member of the Laurel Historical Society and the co-founder/director of the Laurel Museum. When her passing was announced, the City of Laurel lowered its flag to half-mast. There has, nor ever will be, a finer or more outspoken advocate for Laurel, Maryland.

When the couple moved to the Knollwood retirement community in Washington DC, Elizabeth continued to be very active. She loved oil painting and took classes to improve her skills, and she usually won the art contests. Her flower arrangements were everywhere. She attended lectures, took bus trips to events, and made many, many friends. And she dearly loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. “Grandmama,” “Grandma,” “Nana” always prepared fun, engaging activities. She was a delightful hostess!

She was preceded in death by her brother Bobby in 2015 and her husband Richard in 2017.

Elizabeth is survived by her sister, Maryland; sister-in-law Sherry Ann Stone Miles; two sons, Gregory (Bonnie) and Peter (Aida); six grandchildren, Erin (Greg), Sarah (Michael), Ashley (Dan), Tyler (Julie), Miles (Brandy), and Laura (Julio); nine great-grandchildren, Olive, Tessa, Charlie, Lyla, Emerson, Avery, Enrique, Ayla, and Noah; many beloved nieces and nephews; and her closest friend, Gayle.

She will be sorely missed.

Memorial donations would be appreciated for the Laurel Historical Society and Museum, 817 Main St, Laurel MD 20707-3429. Mailed condolences may be made to Peter Compton, PO Box 131, Millington MD 21651-0131.