Born on a farm near Motley, MN, she was the tough daughter of pioneers in Northern Minnesota. Her German mother Margaret Riss and Bohemian Father, Rudy Kral gave her a disciplined mind with a playful heart. She graduated from High School a year early and attended office administration training in Mankato, MN. Later Elaine worked as a secretary for professors at the University of Minnesota. She met her future husband, Cleon (‘Coup’}, at the Prom Ballroom in St Paul, MN. They married Nov. 18, 1950 and lived on Scott Air Force Base where their first child was born. She became a proficient accountant and secretary for their real estate and construction business. She was a key component to its successful growth. Elaine was a treasurer on the board of the St Paul Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) club. Elaine and Cleon were active members of the National Home Builder Assoc in the Twin Cities.

Elaine was an active member of a Lutheran church where ever she lived and raised her children to love and honor Jesus Christ. She clearly demonstrated to young women around her the importance of both career and motherhood and showed that it was possible to be both a loving mother and professionally successful.

She and her husband resided most of their lives in the St. Paul Minnesota area. In later years they spent winters in New Port Richey, Florida. She was fond of gardening, sewing and reading but especially loved being around children.

She is preceded in death by her parents and her husband Cleon Otto Garley and her three sisters Camilla Vaughn, Clara Brown, Bessie Marquardt. She is survived by her five children Bruce, Susan, Cheryl, Pam, and Robyn and numerous grand and great-grand children.

She was kind, gentle, charming and generous. Her family and extended family and friends loved her very much. They feel tremendous gratitude that they were so fortunate to be a part of her life. Words cannot express how dearly she will be missed.

Send no flowers. If it moves you, please express your sympathy by giving to a children’s charity of your choice.