BRUNSWICK - Elizabeth Fowler of Brunswick, Maine passed away peacefully on February 18, 2026, after eight years of institutional living and the consequences of progressive frontotemporal lobe dementia. Beth was born to Francis R. and Julia M. Fowler on April 18, 1943, in Schenectady, NY. In childhood she spent months away from her parents, living in a New York City hospital as she recovered from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The memory of that experience encouraged her to pursue a professional career in medical research directed toward autoimmune diseases. Beth (known as "Liz" as a young adult) graduated from Ballston Spa (NY) High School, in 1961. Active in Girl Scouts, she was a cheerleader, played trumpet in the school band and spent several summers as a waterfront director at a camp in the Adirondacks. She was a proud fourth-generation Cornellian, an active member of the Cornell's Class of 1965 and, as an alumna, served in several positions on the Class's executive committee. She sang in the Sage Chaple Choir, and in her senior year she was elected president of Kappa Delta Sorority. In that position, Liz supported and helped coordinate the induction of the first black woman into that sorority at Cornell. She earned her AB in Chemistry and worked during the summer after graduation as a research assistant at the Seigfried pharmaceutical company in Zofingen, Switzerland. Elizabeth earned her PhD in 1972 in the Department of Biological Chemistry, Division of Medical Sciences, at Harvard University. She was trained as a protein chemist and conducted postdoctoral research in the Genetics Department at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate Dr. Oliver Smithies. In 1977 she joined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as an Assistant Professor of Bacteriology and Immunology. Soon after doing so, she changed her first name to Beth. On December 28, 1983, Beth married Jim Parmentier, a research scientist in the Department of Anesthesiology at the Duke Medical Center, in nearby Durham. They moved to Mobile, Alabama, where she was appointed an Associate Professor in both the Microbiology and Anesthesiology Departments at the University of South Alabama School of Medicine. In 1985 they returned to North Carolina where Beth had been appointed Director of the Instrumentation Facility at CIBA-GEIGY's Biotechnology Research Center in Research Triangle Park. Eight years later she and Jim moved to Lexington, MA to become the Director of Biochemistry and Process Development (1995-1999) at Autoimmune, Inc., a small biotechnology start-up company. There she headed the team that validated the manufacturing process and test methods in preparation for FDA submission and pre-approval inspections of Autoimmune' s drug product. Between 1999 and 2003 she was the Director of Analytical Development at Millenium Pharmaceuticals, in Cambridge, MA, and led the development teams for Velcade and several other protein candidates. Beth served for seven years (2003-2010) as Vice-President for Quality and Regulatory Affairs for Xcellerex, Inc. where she had responsibilities for cGMP compliance of contract manufacturing and provided other biotechnology companies with equipment to produce biomolecules. She was also responsible for the design and validation of Xcellerex's Flex Factory concept of single use (disposable) equipment. This equipment was sold to biotechnology companies for their own GMP manufacturing. She prepared regulatory (US and European) submissions for biopharmaceuticals that were being manufactured using the Flex Factory equipment and was responsible for all regulatory interactions regarding that equipment. Beth said that her Flex Factory development work was the most rewarding position of her professional career. For over 18 years Elizabeth Fowler worked in the fields of technical quality, the regulatory aspects of process development, and the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and biologics in all their stages from discovery to commercial registration. She lectured on virology, microbiology and immunology. She developed and taught online graduate courses in quality aspects of pharmaceutical manufacturing in the Biopharma Educational initiative at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Because of her years of experience in pharmaceutical development, Beth was frequently invited to contribute to policy development within the biotechnology community. She held leadership positions in WCBP (now CASSS-WCBP) and participated regularly in symposia sponsored by these organizations. A high point in this professional role came in 2013 when she was invited to present in the BIT 11th Annual Congress of International Drug Discovery Science & Technology in Hainan, China. In 2010 Beth and Jim retired and moved to Brunswick, Maine they hoped to continue their interests in music and sailing. Three years later, however, Beth began developing symptoms of cognitive failure. For two years she attended the adult day services program at Bath-Brunswick Respite Care. In 2015 she was formally diagnosed with frontotemporal lobe disease and in February of 2017 she moved into Avita of Brunswick, a local memory care facility. By September of 2022 Beth had progressed to the point that she needed skilled nursing care, and she was moved into the nearby Horizons Living and Rehabilitation Facility. Beth was a warm and caring person. Before developing Alzheimer's disease, she led an extremely 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. She was a certified whitewater instructor in both canoes and kayaks, and in the mid-1970's took a raft-supported kayak trip through the Grand Canyon. She and Jim ran with the Hash House Harriers in Durham and in 1984 she won her age group in the Vulcan Run in Birmingham, AL. When living in Mobile, she took SCUBA lessons, drift-dived sections of Florida's Suwanee River, snorkeled with manatees in 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 Roque Island and past the Canadian border. She enjoyed cooking, birdwatching and both listening to and performing in choral music concerts and in light opera theater. Both she and Jim liked performing with and working backstage for community theatrical groups, and particularly with the Sudbury Savoyards. They sang together with several choral groups, including the Oratorio Chorale (now Classical Uprising) in Brunswick. Beth leaves behind Jim Parmentier, her husband of 42 years, her brother, Charles, in Chicago, IL, her sister Lucy Anne McKosky, of Dayton, OH, and her niece and nephew, Sharon and Patrick Cates. She will be remembered and missed by many. People wishing to make a donation in Beth Fowler's memory are invited to send it to the Bath-Brunswick Respite Care, PO Box PO Box 668, Bath, ME 04530. 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, www.stetsonsfuneralhome.com