Elaine L. Uphouse

Her dad was a life- long farmer and Elaine helped her mother with their garden that supplied them all winter. She was a very proficient gardener, a skill and love that would continue for her entire life. She gathered eggs and traded eggs and milk for the other staples they needed.

The Depression hit this area of Nebraska very hard. Banks closed, and giant dust storms covered the country. In 1935 a flood roared down both branches of the Republican River with little or no warning killing about 168 people. Elaine talked about these times and especially how frightening the flood was. Her dad was on one side of the river and she and her mother were on the other side not knowing if the other was alright.

Elaine thoroughly enjoyed school, especially helping in the library. She loved books and learning. When she was 15, she had to move into an apartment in Benkelman with another 15 year old roommate to attend high school as the farm was too far away from the school. She could remember the names of all her teachers throughout the years and all of her classmates. Elaine had a phenomenal memory! She talked about being in high school when World War II started and everyone being glued to their radios when the attack on Pearl Harbor was announced by President Roosevelt. She had deep emotions when her classmates went off to war, some not returning. She said she felt the same emotions years later when she visited the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. She talked about the rationing of everything from sugar, to stockings to gas during this time.

Elaine married Neal Uphouse on July 28, 1948. They lived in Nebraska and California while he was in the Marine Corps and finally settled in Denver. Neal was a highway engineer for the State of Colorado until his retirement. He passed away in 2003. Elaine worked at the Denver Federal Center as a secretary to the director in the VA Fulfillment Center. She enjoyed helping take care of our veterans.

Neal and Elaine were not able to have children of their own. When Ken and Debby Dreiling moved in next door to them more than fifty years ago, they got their family. They watched as Ericka & Jim grew from small babies into adults with their own babies. Holiday celebrations were always spent together as if Neal and Elaine were another set of grandparents & great-grandparents. This past Christmas, Elaine said she especially enjoyed spending time with each of the children. Little did we know then, it would be her last. Elaine's helper for the last 15 years was Felix. He was her handyman, her hands and feet, but more importantly, he was her friend!

Elaine enjoyed gardening, sewing, crafts, cooking and was a voracious reader. She had many birdfeeders and enjoyed watching the birds and squirrels in her yard. Elaine loved her yard and garden, spending as much time as she could on the patio in the summer. She enjoyed arguing politics and trying to solve the world’s problems.

She is a member of Brentwood Methodist Church and attended faithfully until her health didn’t allow her to attend services. She always had a close relationship with God and often said He was the One in

charge. As her health declined, she had one mantra: “I am going to live until I die.”

She passed away peacefully in her sleep four hours before her 90th birthday. “Well done my faithful servant.” Rest in Peace. You will be missed. Her funeral will be held Saturday, February 24th at 10:00 a.m. at Olinger Crown Hill's Chapel of Peace in Wheat Ridge, CO. She will be will be laid to rest next to her husband, Neal S. Uphouse at Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery.