Obituary of Elizabeth P. Flax

Elizabeth (Lehze) Parsons Flax, of Trenton, NJ (by way of Massachusetts, New Mexico, California, and New York), died on September 30, 2021 at the age of 53.  Lehze (nee Betsy) was born on December 18, 1967 and adopted by Martin and Ann Flax.  After attending Buckingham, Browne and Nichols school outside of Boston, she graduated from the Winsor School in 1985.  To celebrate her transition from high school to her undergraduate career at Harvard University, Betsy changed her name to Lehze (“like a layzah beam”, she would say, in an exaggerated Boston accent).  She completed her BFA in Visual & Environmental Studies magna cum laude in 1990 and began a series of moves and jobs that saw her blazing across the US, with formative trips to South Africa and Cuba. In 1986, Lehze sought out a relationship with her birth father, Aarne Sparks, who, together with his wife, Margie, became loving cornerstones in her life.

Lehze moved to New Mexico in the early 1990s, first to the old mining town of Madrid, then to Santa Fe where she worked for a small graphic design firm. Her love of book design and typography led her to pursue graduate studies at Cranbrook Academy of Fine Art, then ultimately at California Institute of the Arts where she received her MFA. After graduation in 2002, Lehze joined the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego as senior designer for three years before launching her own firm. She moved to New York and worked on a range of projects for a diverse group of clients in the financial, retail, theatre and visual arts worlds. After reviving Flaxland, her independent practice, she joined Dialight Corporation where she spearheaded their digital presence and overhauled the company website. She served as the president of the board of Trenton Artworks until 2019, and continued to volunteer for the non-profit.

As Lehze followed her passions over the years, she developed deep and lasting friendships at every stop.  She was capable of finding something to love in every person she met and her generous spirit was a bright  light that was apparent from the moment you met her. Rather than trying to capture this incredible person and her spectacular life in a few paragraphs, please close your eyes and listen to Kate Bush, Dinah Washington, or maybe some reggae.  Now open your eyes and view just a small sampling of her design work in the CalArts poster archive and on her website Flaxland.org.

Lehze Flax is survived by her brothers, Jon and Adam, half-sister, Cheryl Sparks Wise (Earl), nieces Caroline and Kate, and a squad of chosen family who loved her fiercely.  Details regarding a memorial service honoring her life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a charity of your choice in honor of Lehze’s creative spirit, desire to help others, love of animals, and sense of justice.