Annetta Margaret Elden1,2

F, (17 May 1912 - 1 January 2003)
     Annetta Margaret Elden was born on 17 May 1912 at Boswell, Somerset County, Pennsylvania.1,2 She was the daughter of Frank C. Elden and Grace Myrtle Morrison.3,1 Annetta Margaret Elden married, at age 22, James Edward McLaughlin, son of Stephen Douglas McLaughlin and Julia Alexander, on Saturday, 11 May 1935 at Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania.3,1 Annetta Margaret Elden died on 1 January 2003 at Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado, at age 90 years, 7 months and 15 days.1,2
     Annetta has done a lot of family research - DAR #605766.3 As of circa 1984, Annetta Margaret Elden and James Edward McLaughlin lived at 7186 Linworth Road, Worthington, Ohio.3 Her obituary was published on 7 January 2003 in the The Gazette, printed in Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado. Her obituary stated:

     If we are fortunate, we have persons involved with our lives who affect us in a positive and perhaps even a profound way. When that person is your mother, it is a blessing indeed!

     Annetta Margaret Elden was born May 17th, 1912 in Boswell, PA., and died January 1st 2003 in Colorado Springs. Her parents were Frank C. Elden and Grace Morrison Elden. Frank was quite an entrepreneur for his era and owned a barbershop, a theater, and built numerous houses for speculation. It was a very unexpected tragedy when he died of pneumonia just days after he helped a fellow motorist in distress during inclement weather. Annetta was but ten years old and her brother, Henry, eight.

     Showing great fortitude, Grace moved her children to Johnstown, PA., so they could have the advantages of better schools. One of her sources of income was to take in boarders for their two spare bedrooms. Annetta met one of those boarders, James McLaughlin, a civil engineer with a temporary job in the area when she was home from Elmira College.

     Annetta and Jim were married in 1935 and had a life together for 58 years until he died at the age of 94 in 1993. Most of their married life was spent in Worthington, Ohio. They maintained close contact with their four children all of their lives: Julia Grace Chapman (James) with sons Eric Chapman (Christina) and Jud Chapman (Keri) with daughter Samantha in the Seattle area; Annetta Jean Bodman (Dr. Stephen) and children Susan Todd Howell (Patrick) with sons Zachary and Alex Todd in Navarre, FL., and Dr. Mark Bodman (Beverly) and daughters Rebecca and Meghan in Colorado Springs, CO; Alice Jane Merrill (Ross) and daughter, Ashley, in Alexandria, VA; and Alan McLaughlin (Louise) and children Sarah Nevitt (Mike), Lewis McLaughlin (Laura), and Morgan McLaughlin in the Shelbyville/Louisville, KY., area. Annetta is also survived by her brother, Henry T. Elden, of Charleston, WV., nieces, nephews and many cousins.

     Annetta had a spirit of selflessness that was simply her way of life. She was the first to share the bounty of her numerous flower and vegetable gardens with neighbors and friends, and there was always room for more at her dining table. Classical music filled the house, and the fine arts were both appreciated and actively pursued. Annetta's teaching position with Head Start preschool and with a few beginning piano students allowed her to actively express her love for children beyond her own family. Even as her memory waned and she became a resident at a local care facility, she remained friendly, outgoing and pleasant.

     Annetta leaves a legacy of joy, optimism, and giving that will never be forgotten. A memorial service will be held in Ohio. If anyone should care to make a memorial contribution, any would be gladly received for the Deacons at First Presbyterian Church, 219 E. Bijou, Colorado Springs, CO. 80903 or at St. Francis Nursing Center, 7550 Assissi Heights, Colorado Springs, Co 80919, Attn: Administrator.1
According to the Social Security Administrations Death Index Annetta's last known residence was Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado.2
Last Edited=10 Dec 2007

Citations

  1. [S1016] "Annetta Elden McLaughlin obituary," The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colorado), 7 January 2003, p. 4; NewsBank subscription database (http://infoweb.newsbank.com), America's Obituaries & Death Notices by NewsBank, Record No. 10069445. Accessed 11 January 2007.
  2. [S1004] Social Security Death Index, RootsWeb online, at <http://ssdi.rootsweb.com> (Baltimore, Maryland: U.S. Social Security Administration, 12 December 2006 update). The SSDI component of RootsWeb online is drawn from the Social Security Death Benefits Index of the U.S. Social Security Administration. ANNETTA E MCLAUGHLIN, birth listed as 17 May 1912, died listed as 01 Jan 2003 (V), issued in the State of Ohio. Last residence Colorado Springs, El Paso, CO, last benefit (none specified). Accessed 11 Jan 2007.
  3. [S15] June (Shaull) Lutz, History of the Op Den Graef / Updegraff Family (Grand Rapids, Michigan; 1433 Elderwood Ct. N.W.: J. S. Lutz, 1988), p. U-96.