Elizabeth Place Sloss

Sloss, Elizabeth Place, 96, died peacefully of natural causes Friday, July 12, 2013 at her home in Carmel Valley. Her identical twin sister preceded her in death on July 5, 2013. Betty and her twin, Polly, were born in Butte, Montana. Their father and mother were the late Ralph Waldo Place and Jeanette Thurolway Place. Betty had an older sister, Adele, and two brothers, George and Howard. Her father was Vice President of Metals Bank and Trust Company in Butte, which was owned by Anaconda Copper Company. Betty was a graduate from Butte High School and attended Pomona College in Claremont, California.

During the summer after Betty’s second year of college, she and Polly had jobs in Yellowstone National Park; Betty at Old Faithful and Polly at Canyon. Betty returned to Butte, where, following his return from WWII, she married William Albert Youlden. The Place and Youlden families were longtime friends. William died in 1950 after surgery and Betty and her daughter, Gayle, moved to Hillsborough, California to be with Betty’s sister and brother-in-law, Adele (Place) and Conrad Winter.

In 1954, Betty married Elwyn Blake McVicar, of Livermore, California. For the next 20 years, they lived in Hillsborough. “Bud”, an avid golfer, was a member of Green Hills, The Olympic Club and Lake Merced. He was secretary and Treasurer for Sloss & Brittain in San Francisco for more than 50 years. Betty was a devoted wife, mother and homemaker. They enjoyed many years of attending Giants and 49er games. She was active in St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church of San Mateo, Mills Memorial Hospital “Pink Ladies” and Rorke’s Store.

Widowed again in 1972, Betty moved to Palm Springs and, later, Rancho Mirage, California. She was very proud of her “life turn-around” at the Betty Ford Center and 38 years of sobriety. In 1988, she returned to the Bay Area to wed widower, Henry Esberg Sloss, of San Francisco and Atherton, whom she had know for 36 years. Henry was also an identical twin and when they married in November there were more twins in attendance than single birth guests. During the next five years, they traveled by ship to Japan, China, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii and Europe. They enjoyed the SF Symphony regularly. Henry passed away in 1994, and, in 1995, she moved to Carmel Valley Manor where they had many friends.

Betty leaves her daughter, B. Gayle Youlden, and grandson, Henri F. Youlden of Burlingame, California; a nephew, four nieces and several step-children. Her family is grateful to God for her life. A special thank you goes to Betty’s nurses and caregivers; Karen, Chris, Janet, Joanne and all the staff of the Carmel Valley Manor to whom we are most grateful for their love and dedication.

At her request, no services will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Matthews Episcopal Church, 1 Baldwin Ave., San Mateo, CA, 94401.