Obituary of Elna Carter

Elna Gay Martin was born to Clifford Erwin and Jessie May (Arrants) Martin on September 1, 1938. She was very proud that she was born in sod house on her grandparent's land in Cheyenne County Kansas. She attended school up to the eighth grade in Wheeler, Kansas, then went to Saint Francis High School. She graduated from high school in May of 1956. After turning 18 she married Francis Lee Carter in McDonald, Kansas on September 4, 1956 in a very simple ceremony. In 1957, they moved to California where Francis joined the National Guard. During that time their oldest son, Darrell Dean, was born on December 25, 1957. In 1958, they moved back to Colorado, where she stayed home taking care of the house and Darrell. Then on November 24, 1960, their second bundle of joy arrived in the form of Delmar Ray--ruining Thanksgiving dinner according to her. During the Berlin Crisis, Francis was activated and stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado. During the activation, Elna received her first daughter on July 8, 1962, and named her Erva Jean. After a year of activation, the family returned to Burlington, Colorado to live. For the next several years, Elna raised her children, helped Francis at different restaurants, and worked holidays at the Five and Dime. She also became involved in both the Boy and Girl Scouts with her children. In 1965, Elna lost one of the most important people in her life. Elna helped take care of her mother-in-law Viola Gladys Carter when she became ill. On October 6, Viola passed. Less than a year later, she went through a another great loss when her own father passed on August 8, 1966. Some time after that, she began to help her oldest son deliver papers, which eventually turned into her delivering papers all over Burlington. During the wintry month of January 1969, she was awakened early in the morning to give birth to her youngest son, Darren Lee, on the 17th. A couple years later, while delivering papers she slipped and broke her right ankle, putting her in the hospital for several weeks. On a rainy day in September of 1974, their final child and second daughter was born. They named her Darla Lynn and she was born on the 24th day. In the spring of 1989, Elna Gay lost her beloved mother on April 8. Then 20 years later she lost her daughter Erva Jean on December 15, 2009. The rest of her life was spent taking great pride in her kids', grandchildren, and great grandchildren's activities. She never missed a performance or a game. She sold Avon for 32 years. She enjoyed attending church where she played piano. For the last decade she volunteered at the elementary school until she became ill. On July 18, 2012, Elna lost her battle with cancer. She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Harley and Elton Ray, and her daughter Erva Jean. She also was preceded in death by her mother and father-in-law Roy and Viola, five brothers-in-law and two sisters-in-law. She is survived by her husband Francis, her children Darrell (Twila), Delmar (Terisa), Darren (Debbie), and Darla (Aaron) McClellan, her brother Wilford, twenty grandchildren and twenty-three great grandchildren.