Born on April 22, 1984, Elizabeth Ann White was the second daughter of parents Ruth and Dennis. Her older sister Andrea Jean White was three years older than her and was very excited about getting a new little sister. Andrea did everything possible for her new sister. She could understand her “baby talk” and they did everything together. Then a few years after Elizabeth’s birth, their parents divorced and their father moved to Kentucky. Soon after this both of their parents remarried. They got along well with both of their new step parents and visited their father whenever possible. In the year 1994 Ruth and Bill Toornman had a baby son named Keith Alan Toornman. In the same year, Liz was diagnosed with epilepsy.
Liz attended Milwood Middle School where she was first introduced to volunteering. In middle school she volunteered at nursing homes with a group of kids from her school. She attended Loy Norrix High School where she got even more involved in volunteering. Liz started helping at the Kalamazoo Drop-In Child Care Center, the American Red Cross, and Binder Park Zoo. After graduating in 2002 she attended both Michigan State University and Western Michigan University for a short time.
While working at Target as a part time job, Liz met Julian Diaz. They married in 2003 and then in 2004 they had their first son, Cristian Diaz. Because Julian was in the military, the family moved repeatedly around the United States. Three years after the birth of Cristian they had their second child, Amelia Diaz. They continued to move around America until they were transferred to South Korea.
Liz loved to travel and see the world. Several years later Julian was sent to Afghanistan, so Liz and her kids moved back near her dad in Kentucky. Liz spent a majority of her time with her family and children.
Then on Tuesday April 24, 2012, just two days after her 28th birthday, she passed away in her sleep. This came as a shock to everyone who knew her. She was buried next to her grandfather in the Schoolcraft Cemetary. Liz always loved spending lots of time with her family going on vacations. She also loved being artistic and painted whenever possible.
