Tribute

Elaine was born on October 29, 1934, at her maternal grandparents’ home near Fryburg, ND. In April 1939, her family moved east in search of better land to a farm near Portland, ND. In her youth, Elaine hoed weeds, herded sheep, milked cows, and did other chores around the house. Beginning after 8th grade, she started working external jobs, including cooking, cleaning, babysitting, clothes-making, picking potatoes, riding a sugar beet picker, and working at a local cafe. Elaine lived away from home for her last few years at Portland High School, helping teach the elementary grades when teachers were absent and working at a local cafe. Elaine graduated in 1952 and immediately moved to Fargo, ND, where she attended Interstate Business College and then began doing office work. On August 19, 1956, Elaine married Murl at Trinity Lutheran Church near Portland. They lived in Fargo and had Curtis in 1957 and Gale in 1959, while Murl attended North Dakota State University. In 1959, the family moved to Rolla, ND, where Elaine worked as a Home Extension Agent until they moved back to Fargo in 1967. Steven was born in 1968, after which Elaine began working for the Extension Service again. She retired in 1992. In 1994, Elaine and Murl bought a home in the Florence Gardens, AZ retirement community, where they started spending half the year as “snowbirds.” Eventually, they sold their home in Fargo and became full-time residents at Florence Gardens. In 2021, they moved into assisted living in Phoenix. Elaine was an avid tennis player, continuing to play well into her seventies. She was a dedicated bridge player and enjoyed many other card games. She also spent countless hours over several decades researching several family histories. In retirement, Elaine and Murl traveled the world—visiting 41 foreign countries.

Friends & Family

Elaine is survived by her husband Murl Linke of Phoenix; children, Curtis (Lynnell) Linke of Colorado Springs, CO, Gale (Dan) Haug of Phoenix, and Steven (Karen) Linke of Carlsbad, CA; grandchildren, Erik Haug of Mapleton, ND, Brenda (Mitchell) Splichal of Phoenix, and Nicholas Linke of Carlsbad; great-grandchildren, Kaylee, Mia, and Emma Splichal of Phoenix; and siblings, Roger (Judy) Smith of Cody, WY, Carol Byars of Florence, AZ, Susan Oslowski of Florence, AZ, and Marlene (Clayton) Domier of New Braunfels, TX. Elaine was preceded in death by her parents Vern and Alvina (Urban) Smith.