Hermiston

Oct. 15, 1934 — Aug. 16, 2021

Elaine Stein of Hermiston was born on Oct. 15, 1934, in Osborne County, Kansas, the daughter of Earl and Cora (Bratton) Sherley. She passed away in Hermiston, Oregon, on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, at the age of 86.

Elaine grew up in a little house on the Kansas prairie and moved with her family to Oregon in the late 1940s. The family stopped in Sumpter, Oregon, for a short time before settling in Wallowa, Oregon. She attended and later graduated from Wallowa High School. She then attended Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) in Klamath Falls, where she received training to be a lab technician.

After college, she moved to La Grande, Oregon, where she lived for most of her adult life. She worked as a lab technician and x-ray technician at St. Joseph and Grand Ronde hospitals. She later worked as a bookkeeper for the family business “Steins Wash Haus & Dry Cleaners.” After retiring in 2006, she moved to Hermiston, Oregon, where she has lived for the past 15 years.

Elaine married Tom Williams in Wallowa, Oregon, in 1952. The couple later divorced. She married Warner Stein in La Grande, Oregon, on Dec. 5, 1971.

Elaine was actively involved in the La Grande community for many years with La Grande PTA, swim team, bowling league (past president), Emblem Club, Eastern Star and the Elks Lodge. She also enjoyed reading books, playing cards and knitting. But most of all she loved spending time with her grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband, Warner; nine children; 34 grandchildren; 47 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; a sister, Barbara; a brother, J.B.; and many extended family members.

A funeral service was held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, at Burns Mortuary of Hermiston, 685 W. Hermiston Ave., Hermiston, Oregon. Burial was held at 11 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, at Enterprise Cemetery in Enterprise, Oregon.

To leave an online condolence for the family, please go to www.burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.