Elaine Maffitt

Elaine Maffitt passed into eternal life on February 4, 2021.  She was born on October 30, 1937 to Walter and Winifred (nee Jordan) Blezek and grew up on a farm near Sidney, Iowa.  At the tender age of 13, she went to a school dance with Kent Maffitt.  This turned out to be the beginning of a long and wonderful love story.  They married seven years after that dance and celebrated 63 years of marriage in the autumn of 2020.

As a young couple with a nine-month-old baby, Elaine and Kent moved to Minneapolis so that Kent could pursue a graduate degree at the University of Minnesota. Their second son was born while they were still subsisting on a meager graduate student stipend. In their later years, they loved to reminisce about how they somehow managed to find so much joy in life despite of the financial challenges. After raising their two sons in southeast Minneapolis, the couple moved to their dream home in Lake Elmo where they lived among the birds and trees for over thirty years.

Elaine loved to cook.  Perhaps it was as backlash to those lean years, but she loved to prepare elaborate meals often using cuts of meat that would have broken the bank back in the day.  Whatever the reason, she took great pride in trying new recipes and loved serving new and adventurous dishes to her family and friends. She also loved to travel.  She and Kent took numerous winter vacations to the Sanibel Island area of Florida where they enjoyed the many bird sanctuaries.  Their trip to the Czech Republic, where they visited towns that her ancestors emigrated from, left her with especially fond memories.

Elaine was enthusiastic about her many hobbies that included gardening, sewing, knitting, floral design, and candy making.  She was also passionate about decorating and preparing for Christmas (her favorite holiday).  Over the years she maintained a large circle of friends that she made while volunteering for auxiliaries of Kent’s musical groups, fellow knitters and several Iowa friends and extended family members.  She absolutely adored her three great grandchildren.

Elaine’s heart was profoundly broken by Kent’s passing. She suddenly fell ill immediately after his funeral service and was transported from the church to the hospital by ambulance and passed away a few days later.  After being together for 70 years, they were separated by death for only 12 days before they were reunited.  Had their love story been published, the editors would likely have demanded a rewrite of the ending for it would have seemed implausible.

Survivors include, sons Mark (Kay) Maffitt of Madison, WI, Neil (Bonnie) Maffitt of Rochester, grandchildren Kari (Andrew Tsai) Maffitt of St. Paul, Jeffrey (Adrian) Maffitt of Eden Prairie, Rachel Maffitt of Madison, WI and great grandchildren Vivienne, Gwen and Dorian.  She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband.

A private family service will be held Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 11:00 A.M.  The service will be livestreamed at https://vimeo.com/507220028

Both Elaine and Kent moved to the Boutwells Landing campus of Presbyterian Homes in 2018. The family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the many loving staff for taking such great care of them. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Minnesota Arboretum. Condolences may be sent to the Family of Elaine Maffitt C/O Bradshaw 2800 Curve Crest Blvd., Stillwater, MN 55082.