On the early morning of July 18, 2020 Elaine Cecelia Monroe, 86, of Cle Elum, WA left her earth body to begin her journey to heaven. We have lost a real gem with her passing. Elaine was born in Crookston, MN November 18, 1933, the second of four children to Thomas and Doria Fortier.
In 1953, at the age of nineteen, Elaine moved to Seattle. She met her husband, Gene, at the grocery store where she was a cashier. They celebrated 65 years of marriage in January of this year, which was one of Elaine’s proudest accomplishments.
Elaine is survived by her husband Gene, and her children who all reside in Washington State, Loren (Robbin) of Port Townsend, Yvonne (Dennis) of Redmond, Gary (Diane) of Colville, Lee (Alice) of White Salmon, and Perry (Debbie) of Woodinville; and eight grandchildren: Chris, Shane, Maria, Chad, Kendra, Kalli, Jeremy, and Jessica. One great grandson, Abraham. She is also survived by her sister Rose, brothers Ron and LeRoy, numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A private mass and burial will be held August 7, 2020, and a Celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date.
Elaine’s biggest job was raising five children. I’m sure it was a lot of work for her, but there were lots of fun times too. Many weekend, and even week long camping trips in the summer. There were several trips to Minnesota to see her family, and she somehow contained five kids for the long train ride. She worked tirelessly through her life,starting with helping her Dad on their farm, including handling her own team of horses. Elaine helped Gene build four homes over the years for their family, in addition she helped on some of her children’s homes. Every summer there was always a big garden to tend, and hay to cut and bale for the cattle she raised, which was amazing beef.
As soon as all of her children were in school Elaine went to work to stay busy, even though she had plenty to do around the house. She worked in the kitchen making meals and delivering them to various schools in the Lake Washington School District for many years. Later, she went to work as the mail carrier for the same district.
She and Gene enjoyed over thirty years of retirement. They started by traveling around the country including Alaska and Canada in their fifth wheel trailer, which she usually drove. They explored many areas, including spending time with her sister Rose, and her husband Elvin in Texas for several winters. They always returned to their retirement home on the Teanaway River in Cle Elum. All of her children were in Washington and she cherished the time spent with them. There didn’t need to be a reason to get together at the river, but every summer there was a gathering of our family to celebrate Gene’s birthday. Other times these were family reunions with relatives coming from all over.
After many years on the road, living in their fifth wheel trailer, when they were not in Cle Elum, they decided to spend winters at Country Roads RV Village in Yuma, AZ. Elaine jumped right in to volunteer to be the head cook for an annual spaghetti feed the park held each year. She came up with a secret recipe for the sauce that everyone loved. The dinners sold out every year as soon as tickets went on sale.
Elaine was a voracious card player. She liked to win but mainly played just for the camaraderie. She would play four or five nights a week while in Arizona and every night while in Cle Elum with Gene. Elaine touched many people's lives with her many activities and volunteering. She taught pinochle at Country Roads to all who wanted to learn. If you needed help she was always there for you.
Elaine was a devout Catholic and led the Rosary in the chapel at Country Roads for many years, including this year. She was a darn good bowler, with an average of 145 on the league she was part of in Arizona. Dancing was another of her favorite pastimes. She looked forward to every dance put on at the hall. Another passion of hers was baking. Cookies, cakes, pies, and many other goodies, always made from scratch. Many of these she would give away, including baking for some care facilities in Cle Elum, but lots of friends and family benefited from her love of baking. When they would travel to Minnesota to visit relatives she always came with dozens of cookies and at least three varieties.
The world will be a little less bright without Elaine’s smile, but Heaven has gained a true angel. We will miss you Mom.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite cause in Elaine’s name.
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