Anna Elisabeth Brandin Cusack, 85, of Cape Elizabeth, passed away on December 29, 2023, after living with cancer for twenty years.

Elisabeth was born on October 28, 1938, in Spremberg, Germany, to Marie Luise Brandin, née Schnapauff, and Werner Otto Theodor Brandin. She was baptized by her father's brother-in-law, Anders Nygren, a Swedish Lutheran theologian. From ages nine to eleven, she and her brother, Werner, lived in Lund, Sweden, with her father's relatives, who taught her fluent Swedish and a love of Swedish culture. She moved back to Germany to complete her education at the Höhere Handelsschule Friedberg.

On an ice-skating rink in Bad Nauheim, she met James Campbell Cusack Sr., an Army enlisted reservist stationed in Germany, and they fell in love. In 1958, they married and moved to James's home in Winchester, then to Tewksbury, Massachusetts; Cape Elizabeth, Maine; and Atlanta, Georgia, where they raised their family for nineteen years. In 1985, they returned to Cape Elizabeth where she spent the rest of her days.

Family always came first for Elisabeth as a mother, aunt, and grandmother. She was also an aesthete who was passionate about history, literature, art, classical music, and garden design. She was a member of the Peachtree Garden Club in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Cape Elizabeth Garden Club. All her life, she followed international affairs closely and enjoyed discussing world events in the context of history. Her children remember her as a gentle and devoted mother whose intellect and encouragement inspired them to pursue their dreams.

Elisabeth was preceded in death by her brother, Werner Brandin M.D., of Darmstadt, Germany. She is survived by her husband of sixty-five years, James Cusack Sr. Her four children: Julianne Ciraldo of South Portland; James Cusack Jr. M.D. and wife Julia Shivers of Boston, Massachusetts; Thomas Cusack and wife Beate Kuhnle of Hamburg, Germany; and Elisabeth Cusack and husband Robert Lowry of Humacao, Puerto Rico. Her sister, Rose Marie Abendroth, of Friedberg, Germany; and sister-in-law, Heidi Brandin, of Darmstadt, Germany. And her ten grandchildren: Alexandra, Christopher, and Madeline Ciraldo; Grey and Juliana Cusack; Emma, Greta, and Henrietta Cusack; and Morgan and Daniel Lowry.

Elisabeth was also a loving aunt of her German nieces and nephew: Eva Brandin, Karin Abendroth, and Stephan Abendroth, with whom she and her children stayed in close contact through annual summer visits.

A memorial service will be held at the Spurwink Congregational Church, Cape Elizabeth by The Rev. Joshua A. Hill, Rector on Thursday May 16 at 1:00 p.m. followed by a Burial at the Riverside Cemetery in Cape Elizabeth. Reception will be at the family home. Directions will be provided at the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her name may be sent to the Maine Cancer Foundation, 170 US Route 1, Suite 250, Falmouth, Maine, 04105. Tax ID #01-0351077.

The family is grateful to the Northern Light Mercy Hospital staff and especially to the New England Cancer Specialists for their conscientious and compassionate care.