Elizabeth “Liz” (Frost) Gazda

Elizabeth “Liz” (Frost) Gazda, 76, of West Springfield, MA, died peacefully on October 19, 2026, after a long illness. If there’s a golf course in heaven, she’s already lined up an evening tee time with Gus by her side. Liz was born in Holyoke, the youngest of seven children of the late George E. Frost, founder and first president of Holyoke Community College, and Veronica (Lynch) Frost. She grew up in a big, loving Irish Catholic family. Being the baby of seven came with its own adventures, and the family stories are legendary. Liz had an independent streak from the very beginning. When she was four, she set off on her own from home on Claremont Avenue and turned up at her grandparents’ house on Hitchcock Street. Her grandmother called home and asked, “Do you know your daughter is here?” Her mother, Vera, answered, “Which one?” She loved the holidays and never stopped talking about those warm family memories. Growing up in that house shaped the foundation of Liz’s life: family, faith, and service to others. She was deeply loved, and she spent her life recreating that same warm circle of family and friends around her own table. James Taylor’s “Shower the People” was practically her philosophy. Proud of her Irish heritage, she was a beloved daughter, a terrific sister, a cherished wife, the fun aunt, a dear friend, and above all, Meg’s mom. Liz graduated from Holyoke High School in 1968, coming of age in a year when history was being made every day. During her years at the College of Our Lady of the Elms and beyond, she found the friends who would be her people for life: Anne (Leary) O’Connor, Karen Turcotte, Anne Hart and Terri Pudlo. After graduating in 1972, she, Anne and Anne H. headed to Jamaica to teach for a year. It was an early sign of two things that would define her: an adventurous streak, and a calling to the classroom. Anne’s husband, Tommy “Okie” O’Connor, introduced Liz to Paul “Gus” Gazda, and Tommy deserves credit for one of the great matches. Liz and Gus married in 1975. They deeply loved and respected each other, shared a whole lot of laughter, and were simply happiest together. Teaching ran in the Frost family, and Liz was a natural. She began her career at Lynch Junior High in Holyoke and later taught at St. Thomas School in West Springfield. She made history and current events come alive for generations of students. She retired in 2015, but St. Thomas School never stopped being her community, and her colleagues became lifelong friends. To know Liz was to know that laugh. She was curious, friendly, a little mischievous, and always up for something fun, and once she started giggling there was no stopping her. She was a runner and a golfer, had a beautiful singing voice and a soft spot for dogs, especially her beloved Boswell and Bailey. Liz loved to travel, especially to Maine with her friends, and she treasured weekends on Cape Cod. Some of her happiest summers were spent at Old Lyme Shores in Connecticut, where they rented a cottage and kept the door open for anyone who wanted sunshine, salt air and a good laugh. But the best times happened around her own table. Liz’s Yankee pot roast was famous, and her Sunday dinners and holiday picnics were where everyone gathered and where the stories and laughter carried through the house. From the day she was born, Meg was the center of Liz’s world. The two of them simply loved being together. Meg still remembers her mom proudly videotaping her as a little girl performing a tap routine to Phil Collins’ “One More Night” (a slow ballad that is about as un-tap-danceable as a song can be, and the family still laughs about it). Liz was enormously proud of Meg’s strength, she would have done anything for her, and the bond between them was the great joy of her life. And her gift to the rest of us was the way she made people feel: welcomed and loved. Liz always said she was blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. The feeling was entirely mutual. In her final years, Liz was cared for by the staff at The Atrium at Cardinal Drive, who looked after her like family. They knew her, looked out for her, and treated her with warmth and dignity every day, and her family will be eternally grateful. The family also thanks the Brookhaven Hospice team for the compassion and kindness they showed Liz, and everyone who loved her, at the end. Besides her parents, Liz was predeceased by her beloved husband, Paul “Gus” Gazda; her siblings Ann Frost, Joan Frost, Veronica Sears and Dr. Robert Frost; her brothers-in-law Jack Sears, Peter Gazda and Jack Burke; and her niece Catherine Frost. She is survived by her daughter, Maureen “Meg” Gazda; her brother George Frost (Clare) of East Setauket, NY; her sister Kathy Burke of Sandwich, MA; her sister-in-law Brigid Frost of West Hartford, CT; her brother-in-law Michael Gazda (Diane) and sister-in-law Susan Gazda, all of Southwest Florida; and many cherished nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, extended family and beloved friends. Calling hours will take place at Toomey-O’Brien Funeral Home in West Springfield on Friday, October 23, from 4 to 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, West Springfield, on Saturday, October 24, at 11 a.m. A private burial will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Thomas School for the Elizabeth Gazda Education Scholarship, or to the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of Elizabeth Gazda. Liz would love it if you played nine holes as the sun went down, gathered the family for Sunday pot roast, thanked a teacher, took the dog for a walk, put on some James Taylor, and laughed until you couldn’t stop.