Elaine Mary Kearns

Elaine Mary Kearns (83 years old) was born on April 28, 1941, to Andrew and Mary Vaclavik in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, NY. She was baptized at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in NYC. Elaine passed away on January 5, 2025 in Hospice House, Cape Coral, FL.

Throughout her adulthood, Elaine enjoyed reminiscing about her happy childhood by sharing stories about adventures with family and friends. She smiled and laughed about antics on 10th street and throughout “The City.”

Elaine and her childhood friends entertained themselves in ways that included playing, “Johnny on the Pony,” “Stoopball,” “Stickball,” bargaining for free pickles from “The Pickleman,” learning how to swim at a neighborhood public pool, and her favorite; “Playing hooky to ride the subway uptown to the Bronx to attend “Ladies Day” at Yankee Stadium with her best friend Valerie Kutlik, where for the twenty-five cents admission price, they watched NYY stars, including Yogi Berra, Roger Maris, and Micky Mantle play professional baseball. This was all before the age of twelve. She remained in contact with her childhood friend, Billy Blando.

When Elaine was twelve years old, her family moved out of the 6th floor walk-up Manhattan apartment and into a brand-new house in the “Country” – St. Albans, in Queens, NY, where she spent her teenage years, made more friends, and graduated from Andrew Jackson High School. Elaine was interested in the law profession. She worked for two well-known firms on Wall Street, in NYC.

Elaine married Richard Henry Kearns of Queens Village, NY, in 1960 and they eventually moved further out to the “Country” to Holbrook, on Long Island to raise their family. Elaine was always a “Working Mom.” Even so, she made the time to participate in her children’s interests including being a Cub Scout Den Mother and a Youth League softball coach. Her house was the “Hang out,” where friends of her children were always welcome.

After commuting to work part-time for a lawyer in Queens, NY, for several years, Elaine passed the Civil Service exam and was hired by Suffolk County government on eastern Long Island. She worked for Suffolk County, including the District Attorney’s Office and the County Attorney’s Office, both in various divisions and earning supervisory positions, for over 30 years. Elaine quickly made friends with many co-workers. The core group called themselves “The Crazy 8s +1.” They remained life long friends, putting in the effort to see each other over the miles, as well as over the internet. Elaine and her husband Richard’s hard work and savings allowed them to purchase a vacation home in the Pocono Mountains, PA. There, they made life-long friendships with the neighbors that God had put on the same path.

In 2002/2003, as a widow, Elaine’s well-deserved retirement enabled her to move to her dream home in Cape Coral, FL, where she enjoyed collecting shells on the world-famous beaches of SWFL, boating in her own boat, achieving her Boat Smart and Chart Smart Power Squadron safety certifications while living in her waterfront home, which included swimming in her own heated pool, while watching the fish jump with the beautiful sunsets as a backdrop. God put wonderful neighbors in the same neighborhood.

In Cape Coral, Elaine was very involved with her faith; regularly attending mass at Saint Katharine Drexel Catholic Church. Every day, Elaine said the Rosary and prayed for the souls in purgatory, as well as for those on the parish prayer lists. She participated in many of the ministries and organizations such as Bible Study, Cursillo and Ultreya, Faith Formation, RCIA (as a sponsor), Gift Shop, Council of Catholic Women (Where amongst other volunteering opportunities, she successfully chaired the Annual CCW Fall

Bazaar for several years), and as a family, attended many of the social and fund-raising charitable events held in the Parish Hall. Elaine was a key member in the leadership of the “Over 50s Singles Club,” where she established, and for many years, including up until the very end of her life, purchased and arranged the tickets and attendees’ seating requests and never-ending rearrangements for the monthly outings by members attending the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater shows. The monthly outings to the BPDT became so popular among the parishioners that it was expanded outside of the Over 50’s Singles Club to include all who wanted to take part. The management was challenging and took up many of Elaine’s “Retirement” hours. Elaine’s only payment for this labor of love was in seeing the smiles and joy on the faces of those parishioners who were out interacting with one another, and the friendships that were made through the process. Elaine never met a stranger, as the saying goes. She would often exclaim how blessed she was by making so many wonderful friends and being touched by such kindness through the St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Community. She often cried with happiness, as she felt filled with the Holy Spirit.

Elaine was a dedicated grandmother and often traveled to Massachusetts to attend important events for her granddaughters.

Elaine was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Milan, her husband Richard, and her grandson. Elaine is survived by her daughter Debra Ann Kearns of Cape Coral, FL, son Richard James Kearns (Valerie Ochoa) of Marlborough, MA, sister Joan Martin of Bethpage, NY, three granddaughters: Isabella, Brianna, Christiana, and many beloved nieces, nephews, and extended family members.

Funeral Mass will be held at 11am on Monday, February 3rd at St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church, 1922 SW 20th Ave, Cape Coral, FL 33991. The funeral Mass will be live streamed from the Parish Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/drexelcc/,followed by Inurnment in the Veterans’ Section Crypts (near the flagpole) at Coral Ridge Cemetery, 950 Chiquita Blvd. S, Cape Coral, FL 33991, followed by a luncheon hosted by the Council of Catholic Women at the Parish Hall. All are welcome to any or all events on this day.