Elda Jean Makela

April 3, 1927 ?December 5, 2001

Born to Armour and Charlotte Martin, Elda Jean was proud to have been raised in Butte, Montana. As a young woman, Elda Jean excelled in school and attended the University of Montana in Missoula where she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. Upon graduation and against societal norms, Elda Jean excelled in the sciences and continued her studies to obtain a Master?s of Science Degree in Microbiology. For several years following graduation, Elda Jean worked for the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She later moved to Seattle to be closer to her beloved younger brother Rob, and continued her work as a Research Scientist at the University of Washington. It was through her brother Rob that Elda Jean was introduced to a young aspiring meteorologist, Don Makela. Don was extremely proud of Elda Jean?s many accomplishments, and was known to routinely boast that he was dating a faculty member while he was ?just? a graduate student. They married on 1960 and purchased their home on Lake Washington later that year. It was also about that time that Elda Jean began to attend All Saint?s Episcopal Church. With the birth of her sons Martin and Ray, Elda Jean left her career in scientific research to raise her two boys and later her step children Kevin and Karen. Always eager to be involved in her children?s lives, her community and her church, Elda Jean volunteered in activities such as Sunday School, ?room mom?, Cub Scouts and the PTA. For her continued dedication and leadership within the PTA, Elda Jean was awarded the PTA?s ?Golden Acorn? award. It was with a warm heart and kind understanding that she became ?mom? to many.

Elda Jean persevered through unimaginable devastation: the loss of her parents in a small plane crash in 1968, the loss of her only brother in 1968, followed by the loss of her young nephew to leukemia. Though she endured much loss and sadness during a traumatic period in her life, Elda Jean?s dedication to God and her family and friends only became stronger. She expanded her work within the church to become active within the Diocese of Olympia and was later awarded the ?Bishop?s Cross? in 1997 for her lifelong commitment to the Episcopal Church.

With her youngest son headed for college, Elda Jean returned to the workforce in 1982. Having had a great amount of experience driving her children to countless events and activities, and a desire to assist those who were less fortunate, Elda Jean became a driver to those who were unable. She was later recruited to become the Nutrition Site Manager for the Senior Services Center where she remained for 16 years. Retirement did not come easily to her when her eyesight began to fail in 1998. She often joked that she would only move from her position as Manager to become a Member of the Senior Center.

Shortly there after, Elda Jean begrudgingly sold her house on the lake and began another chapter of her life with new friends at the Lakeshore Retirement Community and The Heritage Home in Renton. She ultimately moved in with Ray and Brenda to be with family and friends during her intense battle with cancer. She died peacefully with her children on December 5th.