Elizabeth “Liz” Renee Meredith (nee Whealton) earned her wings years ago, but on Nov. 25, 2024, in the company of her loving parents and her devoted husband, having been called to her heavenly home, she traded in the weight of a courageous battle with cancer for the relief of those well-earned angelic wings.
Liz, the youngest of three girls, was born on Nov. 20, 1986 to Elisha “Bill” Whealton and Mildred “Lynette” Whealton (nee Walker) in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where her love for the outdoors, water and beaches began. Liz’s spirit combined the sweet, loving kindness of her mother with the hard-working determination of her father, producing a one-of-a-kind soul and a one-of-a-kind life.
In 1994, the family relocated to Georgetown, where Liz’s growth into the beautiful young woman she would become continued as she took on a passion for dance. Shortly after graduating high school, salutatorian, from the Seaford Christian Academy, she opened X-Treme Dance Studio from scratch, first operating in the Nylon Capital Shopping Center in Seaford before moving to Laurel, where the business still operates. Starting with few students, and little more than an open space and a stereo, Liz grew the business and student roll to an annual enrollment of over 200 students over the course of her nearly 20 years of ownership and artistic directorship. She ran the business with a dedication to certain principles, largely shaped by her faith – Miss Liz offered an open, non-critical and welcoming environment that fostered a supportive, fun learning experience for her student dancers. Offering car rides, dance attire (which, by her own rule, had to be conservative and non-revealing, no matter the student’s age), dance shoes or even dance classes at no charge for students in need, Liz constantly sought to fulfill any need or solve any problem she spotted. The thousands of little lives she helped shape over those years brought her great joy and served as long term, on-the-job training for a mother-to-be.
Despite the accomplishments achieved during her development of her successful, self-run business, and her dual degrees in psychology and nursing, by her own standards and in her own words, Liz’s greatest accomplishment arrived after her marriage to her husband, Chad Colin Meredith, on June 1, 2019 in Lewes. Liz and Chad welcomed their daughter, Ensley Grace Meredith, into this world and into their family on June 22, 2022, six months into Liz’s battle with breast cancer, following surgeries and chemotherapy treatments during her pregnancy.
After learning that her breast cancer had metastasized shortly after her daughter’s birth, Liz dropped her nursing career and the pursuit of her psychiatric nurse practitioner’s degree (only the clinicals remained) to focus on her faith and family. She often thanked her husband for being her supportive rock, but he’d tell you that he fed off of her example, pulling his strength and inspiration from his two girls, particularly Liz, while she established a solid foundation for their little blessing to begin a life emblematic of her mother’s.
Liz always emphasized experiences over material things. Although she and Chad only had nine years together, they were able to squeeze in trips to the slopes of Lake Placid, the squares of Savannah, the arches of Moab, the peaks of the Colorado Rockies and the Blue Ridge Mountains, the music-filled pubs, castles and shores of Ireland, the Who Dat chants of New Orleans, the beautiful waters of the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and countless coastal towns and beaches from Maine to Florida, with plenty of boat rides, sunsets, walks, special events, family gatherings, date nights (with and without Ensley), sports and music events, laughs and get togethers with friends in the mix, not to mention the tickles, giggles, dances, play time and cuddles with their sweet Enz, often with their dogs, Levi and Riley, close by their side.
No one that knew Liz would say that she deserved the cancer battle that she endured, but she fought hard, showcasing the selfless love, grace, humility and strength developed over her short, but influential, time with us. In a hospital room filled with teary eyed loved ones, Liz faced her final day without a tear, greeting each visitor with open eyes and a gracious smile. As that final day unfolded, Liz’s immeasurable strength and unfailing faith were on full display, assuring her visitors that there was no need to worry about her – she knew where she was going and her only concerns were for those she was leaving behind.
Liz was preceded in death by her grandparents, Paul and Betty Walker and Richard and Mildred Whealton. She is survived by, and lovingly remembered by, her parents, Bill and Lynette Whealton, of Georgetown; her sisters, Susan Whealton Mumford (Seth), of Millsboro, and Karin Flowers, of Pennsylvania; her parents-in-law, John and Melissa Meredith, of Seaford; her sisters-in-law, Curry Smith (Seth), of Naperville, IL, and Becca Meredith, of Bridgeville; her nieces and nephews (who all adored their Aunt Liz), Kaila, Nicholas, Dylan F., Kolyn, Sydney, Evan, Dylan S. and Sawyer; plus countless friends, colleagues, dance moms and dads, and the dance students she loved so much. Above all, Liz was a devoted wife and mother, and her loving husband, Chad Meredith, can only hope to continue her indelible legacy and raise their precious Ensley Grace in the same vein that Liz, the world’s best mother, would have.
During her battle with cancer, Liz took on a saying – Don’t Give Up, the S.H.I.P. (Storm Has Its Purpose) – and she certainly lived by that mantra. It isn’t too difficult for Liz’s network of family, friends, students and their parents, co-workers, acquaintances and loved ones to spot the purpose of Liz’s life, it’s the purpose of the storm that she faced over the last three years, and the events of Nov. 25, 2024, that is so hard to understand. Liz, however, would want everyone to squeeze the juice out of life – continue making memories, love and be loved, help someone out, spend time with family and friends, cherish your loved ones, have fun and enjoy the experiences. In other words, she hopes you dance.
Just before facing the raging storm of needing to put together an obituary for his beautiful, loving wife, and without knowing it was there, Chad stumbled upon the following. In Liz’s own words:
“Being a momma is my purpose. I’ve owned the business, I had the amazing career but now, my top priority is, and will forever be, my beautiful little girl. My husband and I struggled with fertility issues and in 2021 we found out that we were having our special girl. Unfortunately, when I was 18 weeks pregnant, I was diagnosed with breast cancer which completely turned our world upside down and changed my perspective on life. I continued being a professional juggler for a while (because that’s what mommas do). I ran the business and worked hard on my psychiatric nurse practitioner degree while enduring surgery, chemotherapy, hair loss and all that comes with being pregnant and a cancer patient. I was crushing it . . . or so I thought, until we welcomed our little girl and learned that my cancer was stage four. But the storm has its purpose and God doesn’t let anything go to waste. God has been preparing me my whole life for this particular storm. So I decided that what everyone else uses to define success wasn’t for me anymore and I put everything on the back burner to become a stay-at-home momma. Now I’m a teacher, a boo-boo kisser, a comfy pillow, a tissue, a meal prepper, a tickle monster, a swing pusher, an avid colorer, a Play-Doh master, and a chauffeur. My favorite jobs of all. So while others look on my situation as unfortunate, I see it as a blessing in many ways. I get to spend every God given day loving, nurturing, and making memories with my favorite princess. My little girl is my driving force, my reason every morning. She’s my why. My push to defy the odds.” Liz Meredith (date unknown).
A celebration of life is planned. As details become available, the date, time and place of the Celebration of the Life of Liz Meredith will be shared. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that anyone looking to help provide for the Meredith’s sweetest blessing, Ensley Grace, an account for her benefit has been established at Sussex Wealth Partners in Lewes – checks should be made payable to Chad C. Meredith (who is managing the account for Ensley’s benefit) and mailed to Sussex Wealth Partners, attn Brad Travis, 33322 East Chesapeake St, Unit 47, Lewes, DE 19958 Alternatively, for those that would like to donate towards the research and fight against breast cancer, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (bcrf.org), but please include a note that the donation should be used for metastatic breast cancer research.
Much more than the few written words in an obituary about the enduring legacy of Liz Meredith could ever do, the outpouring of love and support extended to Liz and her family over the years, continuing today, are a testament to the import of her life and its influence on so many people. Liz is loved tremendously and missed terribly, now and always Miss Liz, indeed.