Elaine Oppenheim

Elaine (Rothe) Oppenheim was born February 5, 1922, on a farm near Otis, Kansas. She was the third daughter of Fred Rothe of La Crosse, Kansas and Pauline (Gallowa) Rothe of Otis. Upon her graduation from Otis High School in 1940, she moved to Denver to attend business college. After Pearl Harbor, she took her Civil Service Exam and joined the war effort, working in Denver, Atlantic City, and Louisville. In 1946, she married Charles Oppenheim. They raised two children, David and Jill. She sang with church choirs, the Gallery Singers, and toured Europe with the Colorado Choir in 1979. She was active for decades as a volunteer at Porter Hospital, and was involved in the Colorado Association of Hospital Auxiliaries, including serving as president. She attended First Plymouth Congregational Church. Elaine's husband Charles died in 1989. She continued to live independently until three weeks before her death. She died peacefully at home on December 31, 2009. She was preceded in death by her sisters Norma (Rothe) Moore, Thelma (Rothe) Paustian, and brother Frederic Rothe. She is survived by her son, David Oppenheim, and his partner, Raymond Spears; her daughter, Jill (Oppenheim) Harting, and her husband, Bert Harting; and her grandchildren Quinn Harting, Lucas Harting and Annika Harting. A Memorial to celebrate Elaine's life will be held on Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 2:00 p.m., at First Plymouth Congregational Church, 3501 South Colorado Boulevard, Englewood, Colorado 80113.