Elizabeth Leilani Werner

Raleigh - Elizabeth Leilani Werner, 72, only daughter of the late Col. John E. Barlow and his wife Dorothy, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 2, 2012. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and educated at the American High School, Heidelberg, Germany, and North High School, Columbus, Ohio, she earned an A.B. Degree at The Pennsylvania State University in 1961, and an M.A. in English Literature at Duke University in 1963. She taught high school English in Durham, North Carolina, and San Antonio, Texas, and worked in various professional capacities at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and subsequently spent much of her life in Ontario, Canada. She returned to North Carolina and worked for the State of North Carolina as a special education teacher at Murdoch Center in Butner, retiring in 2005. Lani is survived by her husband, Antony Werner, son David Fortney and wife, Janet, of Winston-Salem; daughter Lauren Bryan and husband John of Raleigh; brothers Jack Barlow of Palm City, Florida; Terrence Barlow of Cary; and William Barlow of Alexandria, Virginia; and grandchildren Caroline Lee and husband Matthew of East Sandwich, Massachusetts; and Margaret Fortney, student at Princeton University. She was a lover of classic literature and the arts, and in later years took great pleasure in observing birds, especially enjoying the scenery of the North Carolina Outer Banks. A funeral service will be held Tuesday at 11 AM at Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, 831 Wake Forest Rd., Raleigh NC 27604. Burial will follow at Historic Oakwood Cemetery. The family will receive friends Monday from 5-7 PM at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society, PO Box 1808, Manteo, NC 27954.