Elaine Lenz

One evening at bedtime when Roy and I were visiting Mom and Dad and Lainie was about five, she came out of the girls’ bedroom in her nightgown and announced, “Good night, creepies! Me no sleep here.” Pat and Sharon had been telling “mouse in the house” stories. -Ardie

When Elaine's attention was drawn to the stubby index finger of her left hand, she'll say, tell the story: "I working inna spuds. I stuck my finger. Blood everywhere. I go to hospital." Elaine was eight when this happened. The whole family was up country that afternoon, sorting vines, clods, and rocks from spuds as they bounced along a conveyor bel...more

Roy and I remember Elaine for: Cheerleading Teasing, always teasing, and her laugh Gymnastics Singing her heart out in church Calling us “Woy and Ahdie” Saying so sweetly “You’re my sister.” Diet Coke Dairy Queen Bowling -Ardie

Elaine started saying that her full name is Elaine Michelle Karen Lenz at some point. We're not sure where she got the "Karen," but it may be because Ardie told her that mom and dad considered naming her Karen before choosing Elaine.

Esther, Elaine's cousin: "Elaine always called me “Sam,” the only nickname I ever had!" -Esther is pictured in the bottom row, third from the left

Elaine worked at the Dairy Queen on 17th Street in Idaho Falls for 20 years. She rode the bus to and from work by herself. The owner, Lee Fuchs, showed her how to sweep, take trash out, wipe the tables, and fill the fry sauce cups. Elaine liked filling the fry sauce most, and would show you how she placed the cup and pulled the handle to dispense t...more

Pop day was Tuesday. But Elaine started telling aides that "today is pop day," encouraging them to let her buy pop every day of the week. When she got a treat, she would often tell me about it, but she would start out with, "Don't get mad," and would go on to say she went to a store that day. If I said, "Did you get a pop?" she would say, "You sai...more

The year Mom and Dad went to be with the Lord Jesus, Elaine came home from Idaho Falls to stay with Roy and I at the home place at Christmas time. She went with us to get a tree out of the woods and even walked with us in the snow, reluctantly, and complaining the whole time, of course. She and I had fun making chocolate truffles to give to her s...more

Elaine was inconsolable over the loss of her mom and dad in 2010. I remember her crying and saying "I miss Mom and Dad," "I got nothin'," and "This too hard for me." Eventually she accepted their death, and would just say, whenever she was sad, "I miss Mom and Dad" or "Mom and Dad up there.' Cathy and Laura and I occasionally had to stop her from m...more

In 2011, it became clear that Elaine's annual budget, fixed by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare through Medicaid's Adults with Developmental Disabilities program, was inadequate. In Idaho Falls, her budget allowed her to go to the Joshua D Smith Foundation, or "C street" as everyone called it. In Boise, she was able to go to LIFE (Living ...more

Elaine loved playing games. With Mom and later Laura and Vern, she was always ready to play Sorry, which she called the "Sorry game." She almost always played with the red pegs; it was very hard to persuade her to play with any other color. With larger groups, during holidays, she played 5000, a dice game where ones count as 100, fives as 50, thre...more

Yesterday I took Elaine to the center, and she found some occasion to tell me, "You inna dog house." She usually says this if she suspects I might forget her pop day, or refuse to give her ice cream when she wants it, or don't agree with her about something. And usually, she might follow it up with a "You sleep outside," especially if it was a cold...more

In 2014 Elaine moved to her Supported Living of Idaho apartment. She loved her housemates and had the best caretakers there!

Elaine would bowl with a flourish. She had her own orange bowling ball. When she was in Idaho Falls, she would diligently write down her score. Later in life, when bowling was hard, she would play the Nintendo bowling game, for which she had a lively swing even though she was always seated while playing it. We made avatars for her and her entire f...more

Elaine loved to dance and had the best moves. She performed a dance routine for the Miss Amazing Pageant in Boise. We could always convince her to start dancing if we played Elvis.

At our Aunt Maxine's 90th birthday party in 2017, I predicted to my siblings that Elaine's last words would probably be "pop." In her dementia, she would repeat words over and over--Mom, pop, and cake. Toward the end, she stopped saying pop, and said more often "cake" or "Mom." -Vern