RICHMOND — Eliza Beck Cofer, 93, of Richmond, died on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017, after a long illness. Eliza was born and raised in Dinwiddie, and had lived in Richmond for the past 48 years. At Dinwiddie High School she was a basketball star and concert pianist, and was the valedictorian of the class of 1941. She graduated from Randolph Macon Women’s College in Lynchburg in 1945, and began a lifelong career as an elementary school teacher of English, science, and mathematics. She taught for many years at the John B. Cary School in Richmond before her retirement. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, John I. Cofer III, and daughter, Martha McLaurin Cofer. She is survived by her two sons, John I. Cofer IV and James Jordan Cofer; her daughter-in-law Sharon Nazzaro Cofer; two grandchildren, Emily Elizabeth Kramer and John I. Cofer V; and two great grandchildren, John I. Cofer VI and Quinn Marie Kramer. A graveside memorial service will be held at the Ivy Hill Cemetery in Smithfield, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9.