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Enjoying five decades in George
Tammara Green/Post-Register
Elaine Elshoff enjoys volunteering and active in the Quincy Valley, where she has lived for 50 years.
Elaine Elshoff was born in Mitchell, South Dakota but the family moved to Silverton, Ore., when she was only three. Growing up, her parents encouraged education and promoted her going to a university. She attended Mt. Angel Women’s College and received a degree in education.
Elshoff ended up teaching grades first to eight in a one-room schoolhouse in Crooked Finger, Ore. Eventually she made the decision to move to teach in North Bend, Ore.
Elshoff’s life took a change in 1961 when she responded to an ad for a Christian social group. The group joined young Christian men and women throughout the Northwest. She filled out a questionnaire and was interviewed by a minister.
“We were not allowed to write first. We filled out our application and had to wait for the man to reply first,” said Elshoff. Finally she received a response from Don Elshoff of the Columbia Basin near George.
Don, who was in his second year of farming, was working 160 acres near George off of Road U. They started writing to each other and eventually her future husband came to meet her in Oregon in November of 1961. Elshoff was eventually invited up to George to visit the next spring. She almost didn’t make it.
“The driver called “Martha’s Inn” and I didn’t know that was George, so after we passed through Quincy, I asked where George was. The driver realized I missed my stop and went back,” she said.
When Elshoff stepped off of the bus, Don was waiting and admitted that he thought he had been stood up and was ready to leave.
Upon arrival, she took a tour of the farm, and was asked to cook a meal. The new couple decided they liked each other and began to talk about engagement, so they traveled to Wenatchee where Don bought her a ring.
“He never said anything when he bought it, so I didn’t assume it was the engagement ring,” said Elsoff.
The two traveled to Portland, Oregon to meet Don’s family where the engagement was announced. The Elsoff’s were married on June 16, 1962.
Elsoff and her husband upgraded from the converted machine shed he had been living in and bought a home from the Wanapum development near Mattawa. It cost them $8,000. They raised two boys, Mark and William, and one daughter, Rachel, in the home. Elshoff’s son, Mark is a cook, and William works in construction. Rachel has a cattle ranch and is the postmaster in Drewsey, Ore.
While the children were growing up, Elshoff spent time taking care of the household and running to get parts for farm equipment. On the 500 acres they now had, they built a feed lot. Elshoff and her husband also had the first irrigation circle in the area. “We also used half circles, which covered 149 acres at a time,” she added.
Elshoff enjoys bird watching out her window when she is at home. She enjoys catching up with her children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
In her spare time, she enjoys reading and embroidery. She is an active member of both the Quincy and George Senior Centers. Elshoff volunteers at the Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store, and she is a member of the Frivolous Fillies Red Hats group. She has also been a long-time member of the Mary Kazka book club, which is the oldest book club in Quincy. She has also been an active member of the Quincy Community Church since she moved to the valley in 1962.
