Career Girl, 88, Gives Her Time To Library, Mortuary And Obituaries

When one meets Elaine Clark, the first impression is that she is a very special person.

And her resume confirms it.

Miss Ellie (as she is affectionately known) holds down several jobs, including work as a library page, a mortician’s assistant, and an obituary archivist.

But she’s more than just a working girl: At 88, Miss Ellie -- a Wildomar resident who is soft spoken, helpful, polite and kind -- goes out of her way to make people feel extraordinary.

Tall, golden-haired, always impeccably dressed and accessorized with matching jewelry and classic low heels, Miss Ellie looks the part as she works her day job as a page at . Her duties there include everything from shelving books to making coffee and computerized library cards.

But her best skill is welcoming her patrons and learning their names. 

“I try to get to know all my patrons,” she said. “Their name is important.”

Ellie has been working at the library for the last four years. She started out as a volunteer for two weeks and impressed the staff so much that they jumped at a chance to hire her as an employee. She now works there every day for three hours.

Prior to her work at the library, Ellie spent nearly 15 years working as a credit manager at Deckert Surgical Supply in Santa Ana.

She retired at age 62 and then decided to pursue a career once forbidden by her father: a mortician. She signed up for apprentice courses in embalming and other applicable skills, and after finishing started working part time at a Tustin mortuary.  Today she helps out on a regular basis at a Murrieta mortuary. 

“I enjoy making people happy when they see the results of what’s left of their loved one,” she explained. 

Ellie has a compassion for people and has suffered in her own life, having recently lost a daughter.

 “You should never have to bury your own child,” she said. “You have to make the best of it; life is for the living.”

Despite her loss, Ellie continues to make each day count. She loves her work and the people, especially the children who come into the library. She helps with the Story Time Program and sets aside small trinkets for children who she sees might need a smile or a hug.

When she does her banking, she asks the tellers for shiny new pennies to give the children at the library.

It is a “small token of kindness,” she said, “but gives a lasting impression to the child.”

“Miss Ellie has been known by our patrons as one of the most helpful staff here,” said Mission Trail Librarian Agnes Rita. “She has a habit of joking with people about old age and just makes people smile. She makes small gifts (customized bookmarks) for patrons and generally looks for ways to make people feel appreciated.”

At a recent Story Time session, Cassi Harper, 8, talked about how much she enjoys her library experience, and it’s clear she and Miss Ellie know each other well.

Lee Edgerly, a Wildomar grandmother, remarked, “You can tell Miss Ellie loves being with the children, and she is always ready with a hug for them.”

“She is a fantastic lady who makes a big impact on early childhood education of our youth,” said Karen Calvert, another Wildomar grandmother.

Calvert’s granddaughter Melanie has had difficulties speaking and was helped by Miss Ellie over a two-year period.

In her spare time, Miss Ellie immerses herself in genealogy. She has traced and documented her own family back as far as King Charlemagne on her mother’s side.

She also belongs to the Lake Elsinore Genealogical Society and helps with its Obituary Project. She and a friend, Shirley Brook, go to the Lake Elsinore Library and look at microfiche of newspaper obituaries that date back to the 1800s. The two women are chronicling the obits as part of the project and have now compiled more than 5,000 names and life histories. The work allows Miss Ellie to actively help others in their quest to find family records.

Additionally, she is involved with the Daughters of the American Revolution, The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, and The Mayflower Society.

For Miss Ellie, the December of life just hasn’t arrived yet.

“Age is just a number,” she said.