Elizabeth “Libby” Thunem, long-time resident of New Canaan, devoted wife, loving mother and cherished grandmother, died peacefully Tuesday, December 30. She was 80 years old, and is survived by her husband of 54 years, Vernon L. Thunem of Wilton. Elizabeth Dudley Pickles was born on June 30, 1928, in Providence, RI, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Wilfred Pickles. Her father was the head of neurosurgery at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. Libby graduated from The Lincoln School, and Radcliffe College in 1950 with a degree in English, where she also sang in the Radcliffe Choral Society. She earned a Masters Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Bridgeport in 1974. Upon her graduation from Radcliffe, Libby moved to New York City, where she began work as a secretary in the Public Affairs department at American Broadcasting Company. Later, she worked at the Vick Chemical Company, where she was secretary to the president in the Vicks Products Division. Libby and Vern were married in 1954, and lived in Yonkers, NY. Yonkers was not home for long, as Vern’s career took the family to Beirut, Lebanon and Istanbul, Turkey for five years before Libby, Vern and their three sons returned to the U.S. in 1963 and settled in New Canaan. Libby and her husband made their home in New Canaan for 39 years. They intermittently lived in Indonesia, Bahrain, Belgium and Saudi Arabia during that time, due to Vern’s work overseas in the oil business. Everywhere she lived, Libby found time to use her many talents in music and education with young people. She began teaching Sunday School at St. Mark’s Church in 1963, a path that would eventually lead to her employment there for ten years as Church School Superintendent. In Indonesia, she ran the Sunday School and directed the choir at an American Baptist mission. In Bahrain, Libby was the soprano soloist for a production of Handel’s “Messiah” in the capital city of Manama. In Belgium, she was an award-winning Cub Scout volunteer and a Sunday School teacher at the expatriate Methodist church in Waterloo. Throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s, Libby was a busy substitute teacher in the Fairfield County public schools, a director of church school programs, founding member of the St. Mark’s Nursery School Board of Trustees and founder of the cherub choir at St. Mark’s, and an active volunteer at Waveny Care Center. She loved her family, her church and her work with young people, teaching children and encouraging others. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by a brother, William Pickles, and a foster brother, Edmund Monroe. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her sister, Ann Pickles of Providence, RI; her sons and their wives, Carl and Debbie of Dallas, TX; Eric and Cynnie of New Canaan, and Mark and Lauren of Huntington, CT; and four grandchildren, Matthew and Megan of Dallas, and Ned and Pete of New Canaan. The family will receive visitors at Hoyt Funeral Home in New Canaan from 4:00 to 8:00 pm on Thursday, January 8th, and a memorial service will be held at St. Mark’s Church at 3:30 pm on Friday, January 9th. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial gifts be made to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church or Waveny Care Network.