Elayne Katherine Hannah, 89, of Mesa Arizona, and formerly of Maple Lake, near Mentor, MN, passed away peacefully Monday morning, March 16, 2020, at a Catholic Hospice in Mesa AZ, and is now with her Lord and Savior.
Elayne was born on April 19, 1930 at Crookston, MN, one of twelve children of the union of Ed and Maria (LaFromboise) Caillier. She grew up on the family farm near Gentilly, MN and was baptized and confirmed at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Crookston. Elayne began her education at District 20 School in Gentilly and would later graduate from the Northwest School of Agriculture in Crookston with the Class of 1946. She began working as a Nurse’s Aide at St. Vincent’s Hospital and a year later went to work for her brother, Norm, at The Midway, a bar he owned near Gentilly. On November 23, 1949 Elayne was united in marriage to Leslie Elroy Hannah at St. Anne’s Catholic Church. The couple settled in Fisher, MN and Les farmed land around the Fisher area. Following his retirement in 1981 they began spending summers at their Maple Lake home, near Mentor. A few years earlier, in 1977, Les and Elayne pointed their motor home south and headed to Bonita Springs, Florida where they started spending the winter months. While there they welcomed a steady stream of family visitors. In 2004 they decided to make Mesa, Arizona their winter home. A few years later while on their way to Mesa, Les suffered a severe coronary while in Fargo, ND. Sadly, he passed away at Merit Care Hospital there on November 5, 2006.
Elayne was a former longtime members of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Fisher, where she also belonged to the Ladies Aid. After settling at Maple Lake she became a member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church at Mentor and continued her membership to the present time. One of her favorite pastimes was creating unique items out of shells she collected from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. She was known to everyone as “Mom” and will be fondly remembered for her fabulous chocolate chip cookies. Elayne leaves a legacy of deep and abiding love for her family, and the joys of a heart filled with so much pride at being blessed with so many beautiful grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Elayne is survived by her 2 daughters, Sandy Kouba of Maple Lake near Mentor, MN and Debra Kolden of Mesa, AZ; 4 grandchildren: Rashelle Anderson of New Richmond, WI, Kris Anderson of Grand Forks, ND, Tyler Kolden and wife, Lynelle, of Denver, CO, and Travis Kolden and wife, Amy, of Erskine, MN; 15 great-grandchildren: Hailey and Abigail Anderson, Faith Neely, and Marie, Leah, Therese, Andrew, and Luke Kolden, and Peter, Clara, Ana, Jacob, Genevieve, Rhett, and Edith Kolden. She also leaves a brother, Steve Caillier of Crookston, MN; a sister, Yvonne Marra of Scottsdale, AZ; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.
In addition to Les, her beloved husband of 56 years and best friend for longer than that, Elayne was preceded in death by her son, Gary, who died in a plane crash in Alaska on July 1, 1981; her parents, Ed and Maria Caillier; 5 sisters: infants Lorraine and Lucy, and Annette Fournier, Marion Plante, and Josephine Boucher; and 5 brothers: infant Joseph, and Bob, Jerry, Norman, and Paul Caillier. Blessed be the memory of Elayne Kathryn Hannah.
Mass of Christian Burial for Elayne Hannah will be celebrated at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Mentor, MN, at a later date.
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