Elaine Earley was born Sept. 10, 1920 in Pasadena, Calif., the only child of George Curtis Earley and Vivian B. Caunt Earley. Elaine was vibrant, smart, witty, creative, and possessed a fiercely independent spirit, refusing to be defined by age or others’ expectations. To those she loved, she devoted equal measures of love, loyalty, and generosity. Her passion for design infused her work and private life.

Elaine grew up in Pasadena, graduating high school at Westridge School for Girls in 1938. She attended Stanford University 1938-40, then Chouinard Art Institute (now Cal Arts) in Los Angeles, studying fashion design. During World War II she worked as a draftsperson for an engineering firm, in design at Catalina Swimwear and as a swimsuit model. After the war, she landed first in Woodstock, VT then at Lassen National Park in northern California. At Lassen she met her future husband, Warren C. Bourdette, a young WWII veteran and ranger for the National Park Service. They married in 1950. Their marriage was a loving and devoted partnership, sharing everything equally, including a sense of fun and adventure. The newlyweds lived in San Luis Obispo, Calif., while Warren completed college at California Polytechnic State University. Their only daughter, Christine, was born in Fresno, Calif., in 1952. Many job changes and a restless desire for new beginnings took the family to Sacramen to, CA, Camden, NJ, Duluth, Minn., the San Francisco Bay Area, and Davis, CA. During her child-raising years, Elaine pursued volunteer work and her own design and art projects. Together the family traveled and shared a love of the outdoors. Once with an empty nest, Elaine began working in retail. The couple moved to Seattle in 1971, where she eventually became manager of the Pacific Science Center gift store. In 1980 Elaine and Warren started their own retail business in Seattle, The Elements, where Elaine thrived as manager. Later, the couple moved themselves and their shop to Lopez Island. On Lopez, they began raising sheep and eventually closed their store in Lopez Village. Elaine and Warren moved their sheep operation to the Yamhill Valley, OR in 1994. In 2002, they moved to Butteville, Ore., devoting themselves to gardening and their dogs. After Warren’s death in 2010, Elaine remained in the Butteville/Wilsonville area. In 2013, she moved to assisted living in Portland, where she remained until her death. She is survived by daughter Christine Bourdette and son-in-law Richard Lovett of Portland; cousin Betty Templeton, Sarasota, FL; sisters-in-law Jane Bourdette, Mishawaka, IN and Agnes Bourdette, Coldwater, MS; and several nieces and nephews. The family held a private celebration of her life. Remembrances may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.