Liz Lutton (Elizabeth Ann McConville)

life story

Small package, big life

Liz Lutton died peacefully on February 5, 2026, after a yearslong fight against Alzheimer’s. She was surrounded by family and wonderfully caring nurses, aides and hospice workers.

Born Elizabeth Ann McConville to parents Marcella (Haas) and John McConville in Minneapolis on October 14, 1941, Liz was a “miracle baby.” She was born at 7 months, weighed under three pounds, and was not expected to live.

Liz’s preemie start may have accounted for both her early faith in God and her tiny size– she was 5 feet tall and under 100 pounds most of her life. What she didn’t have in stature she made up for in heart and warmth of spirit.

Liz’s life was guided by her Catholic faith and a deep devotion to serving family and neighbors. And to Liz, everyone was a neighbor — friends and strangers alike — without concern for race, creed, language, or anything else. Through every phase of her life — as a nun, a teacher, a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, a volunteer, and director of a non-profit — the through-line was love and service to others, especially the poor.

If you ran into Liz, you were very likely met with genuine warmth and probably a tight hug (unless she felt you were on the wrong side of right, and then she would have words for you!)

Liz attended Academy of Holy Angels for high school, graduating in 1959. In 1960 she entered the novitiate of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in St. Paul. She received the habit and the name Sister Joan Elise in 1961. She took her first, temporary vows in 1963.

Liz continued her education at the College of St. Catherine, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1965. She was sent to teach at various Catholic grammar schools, including Christ the King and Ascension in Minneapolis. She also taught at St. Mark’s in St. Paul. Liz chose not to take final vows, and left the sisters in 1968.

A year later, she met Larry, a young engineering student from the “U” who became the love of her life. The two were married within six months and would be inseparable for the next 56 years.

In married life, Liz poured her energy into family and home, especially her two daughters, Linda and Lisa. She baked all the family's bread (the word “store-bought bread” was a sort of insult in the Lutton home, as was the idea of eating anything from a can). She planted a prodigious backyard garden every year, made dill pickles, canned tomatoes, and sewed Linda and Lisa’s bookbags and clothes.

Neighbors around their Eagan home might remember Liz opening the back door each evening and hollering, “Linda! Lisa! Time for supper!!” A network of neighborhood kids made sure her message was delivered, because everyone on the block knew Liz was strict. You took your shoes off at the door, there was no TV allowed (the only exceptions were public television, the Waltons, and Little House on the Prairie), chores were assigned on a day-by-day grid posted to the refrigerator. No toys in the living room, which was kept for company. The house was modest but immaculate.

When her children were young, Liz volunteered at the public schools (ISD 191), where she coordinated a “Bucket Brigade" of volunteer tutors across eight elementary schools who carried their handmade educational materials in plastic buckets. She built lifelong friendships with other moms and teachers in the district she met during campaigns to pass referendums to increase teacher pay and funding to schools.

After her children were out of elementary school, Liz worked at a doctor’s office for 16 years. Later, she began to search for something more meaningful and in 2000 became the director of Joseph‘s Coat, a free store in St. Paul.

Joseph’s Coat relied on a network of churches and individuals to bring in donations of clothing and household items two days a week, which the store then gave away to those in need. “I am a person who is powered by my faith to serve the poor,” Liz wrote at the top of her resume. “I am privileged to be the director of Joseph’s Coat, a free store that offers clothing, household items and hygiene products to the poor in the St. Paul community in an environment of acceptance, dignity and respect.”

Liz ran what she would have called “a tight ship” at Joseph’s Coat (no line before 9am, one bag only per customer, unless you need more, etc.). She treated donors and customers alike with great respect and compassion. During her tenure, she pushed for Joseph’s Coat to do more, and encouraged the board, local parishes and foundations to increase their commitments. When Donald, a homeless man dying from mouth cancer came to Joseph’s Coat in 2005, Liz found funding for him to get out of the cold and into hospice care, and visited daily. A parishioner from Liz’s home parish of St. John Neumann in Eagan said their group joked that they had their own “Mother Teresa.” They described Liz as a "bright light” at their parish.

Throughout all Liz’s phases of life, Larry was a constant companion and support. The two went for long daily walks, often in the woods. They never missed dinner together or Sunday Mass. They travelled to Alaska for their 25th wedding anniversary, a wonderful memory. Liz and Larry would frequently drive to Chicago to visit Linda, Hector and their three grandchildren.

In 2020, when a young woman contacted Liz and Larry and said she needed a safe place to stay for the night, of course they opened their home to her– despite the pandemic, and despite the fact that they only knew her as a cashier from the grocery store. Ruth ended up staying for nearly six years, and became as much of a support to Liz and Larry as they were to her. They saw her as an adopted grandchild.

Even as Alzheimer's would come to change Liz’s interactions and mood, her warmth and love for other people still shone through. She would greet strangers in the grocery store as if they were long-lost friends– with big hugs and, “How ARE you? It’s so good to see you!” right in the butter aisle.

When she moved to Eagan Point Senior Living for memory care, she called all the aides “Sister,” as if she were back at the convent. Staff called her Sister as well.

Liz is survived by her husband Larry, who personally cared for her every single day of her long fight with Alzheimer’s; daughters Linda and Lisa; son-in-law Hector; grandchildren Cauria, Credo, Pirecua, and Ruth: and beloved nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents John and Marcella, mother-in-law Loraine Lutton (Bussiere), sister Maxine and brother-in-law Jack Belina, nieces and nephews Judy, Tom and Scott.

Liz never doubted that she would be reunited with all who had gone before her. She often said she looked forward to “dancing in heaven.”

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer's Association: https://www.alz.org/ or the Minnesota Hospice Foundation: https://minnesotahospice.com/give/

Services: Monday Feb. 16 at St. John Neumann

Services will be held Monday, February 16, 2026, at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Eagan.

4030 Pilot Knob Rd, Eagan, MN 55122

9am Visitation

10am Mass of Christian burial

Luncheon to follow in the church social Hall. All are welcome.

Liz will be buried at Resurrection Cemetery this spring.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer's Association: https://www.alz.org/ or the Minnesota Hospice Foundation: https://minnesotahospice.com/give/