Elizabeth Bourquin. (Courtesy photo)
Elizabeth McLellan (Corey) Bourquin died on June 27, 2026, at the age of 93. She was the wife of the late René Bourquin (1902-1985).
Born on March 23, 1933, in Boston, she was the daughter of Dorothy Peters Corey (1892-1989) and Eben Corey (1891-1964).
As the youngest of her siblings, she was predeceased by her sister, Ruth Baldwin (1923-1993), her brothers, George C. Corey (1924-2024), John “Jack” Corey (1926-1969), and her sister Rosie Corey (1931-2019).
Upon her graduation from Concord Academy in 1951, she went to study art at the Museum School of Fine Arts. Subsequently, she taught art at Milton Academy.
She married the love of her life, René Bourquin, in 1971 in St. Thomas. They built a house in Harvard and lived their dream of owning an apple orchard. In 1975, they welcomed their son, John.
After René’s death, she continued to live in Harvard until 2022. She has since been under the wonderful care of Avita of Wells, Maine, as she sadly suffered from dementia in recent years.
Her biggest love was nature, particularly birds, as she was an expert birder. She also loved flowers and all animals. Her favorite sound was the wind in the pines. She loved working with the land. Her small apple orchard and vegetable garden were great hobbies and passions of hers. She also enjoyed weaving and was a master weaver and member of the Weavers’ Guild of Boston for many years.
Her adoration of nature also led her to extensive travel to many countries, including Tanzania, South Africa, India, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, and Iceland.
As a lifelong, proud New Eng-lander and Bostonian, she was an avid fan of the Boston sports teams. She also loved playing softball and tennis when she was young.
She is survived by a son, John Bourquin, and his wife, Penny; and by nieces and nephews Cherrie Corey, Carol Corey, Anita Baldwin, Ben Baldwin, Liza Baldwin, and many great and great-great nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her nephew David Baldwin.
She will be laid to rest at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord.
Donations in her memory can be made to the Massachusetts Audubon Society.