Elaine Ernst

Elaine Ernst

Passed away peacefully on Monday, September 13, 2021, age 95 years.  Loving wife of the late John “Jack” Ernst.  Dear mother of John R. Ernst, Amy (Scott) Thornton and Betsy (Gary) Goran.  Grandmother of Parker (Kim) Goran and Scott Thornton.   Also survived by many friends.

Elaine was a loving wife and mother.  She lost her husband, John “Jack”, 25 years ago.  She had 3 children and was a great stay at home mom.  She had amazing inner strength and overcame many hardships on her own after her husband passed.

She started a tradition at Christmas called “Silly Santa”.  Everyone got at least one gift from “Silly Santa” every year.  The gift was always centered on an event in that person’s life during the past year.  They got a poem along with the gift and each person had to wear a Santa hat and read their poem aloud before opening their gift.

Elaine was a prolific quilter.  Over the years she sewed many quilts and decorations for her home.  She belonged to Southwest Quilters, a group that created and donated over 1000 lap quilts for the Oncology Department at Children’s Hospital.

She was also a great Scrabble player.  She loved playing and had a great eye for spotting a space to put a letter in to make combined scoring words.

Spending time with her family was one of her greatest joys in life.  She loved sitting together and talking, going shopping at Goodwill, and going to Starbucks for a Chai Latte.

Elaine loved her granddog, Lily, and often they would spend the afternoon together taking a nap.  She would often spend time just watching Lily as they hung out together.

Elaine never had a bad thing to say about anyone and made friends easily.  She was at her assisted living for a short while, but in that time became a favorite with the residents and caregivers.

Private family services were held.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Foundation in Elaine’s memory.