Big Bear Lake, San Bernardino County, CA
Published in the "Big Bear Grizzly"
File uploaded 18 Feb 2005

This file is part of the California Tombstone Project
http://www.rootsweb.com/~cemetery/californ.html




Elva Meline
 
95, a long time Big Bear resident, passed peacefully in her sleep on Oct. 18 
after a short illness.

Elva was born in Kansas on May 1, 1909, the oldest of seven children. In the early 
1920s, long before the dustbowl days, the entire family migrated to California for 
the sake of her  father's health. The long drive from Kansas, which she often recalled, 
took many days and  was quite a venture at the time.

During her high school years in California, she worked at the Los Angeles Public Library  
where she had the opportunity to further her in-born interest in all types of literature. 
Upon  graduation she embarked on a long and varied career full of accomplishments so 
numerous only the highlights can be listed.

She became a librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library in the 1930s; she was an active  
PTA member and worked with the BPW during the 1940s; she operated a book store in  
Los Angeles and later became the owner; she became an expert and conducted lectures on 
"Batchelder Tiles;" she was president and officer of numerous historical societies and, 
just prior to moving to Big Bear, she was the resident curator of the Andres Pico Adobe 
in San Fernando Valley, a position she vacated only when the mansion was damaged in the
Northridge Earthquake, and she was over 80!

Upon arrival in Big Bear, Elva immediately joined the Big Bear Historical Society where 
she remained active for several years, the Church of Religious Science where she was a  
practitioner and ran the bookstore for many years, and the Friends of the Big Bear Library  
where her first position was that of president. In that position she helped introduce many  
new programs, and participated actively on the board up till her 95th birthday.

Over her long lifetime, Elva has been honored by many awards from the various  organizations 
where she has offered her services. As recently as this summer, she was  awarded the Lifetime 
Service Award by the Volunteer Center of the Inland Empire.

While frail in health toward the end of her long life, Elva remained a spiritual and  
intellectual inspiration for all who loved her. She is survived by her son, Don Meline of Big
Bear, her granddaughters, Kathy Viterice of Big Bear and Shari Welch of San Diego, two great 
granddaughters, Audry and Tifiny Russell, two sisters, Teddy Allen of La Habra and  Helen Seal 
of Oceanside, and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 1:30 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge at  
385 Summit Blvd. in Big Bear Lake. In lieu of flowers, donations to help defray the cost of  
burial may be made to the Elva Meline Memorial Fund, c/o Jackson Federal Bank, P. O.  Box 6814, 
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315. At the request of the family, donations in excess of  the costs will 
be given to Elva's two main loves, her Spiritual Community, and The Friends of the Big Bear Library.