Elaine Kane

Elaine Montgomery Kane passed away, peacefully, on May 2, 2023, at the age of 93.

Elaine was born to Thomas Bigger and Delia Putnam Montgomery on June 22, 1929, in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is preceded in death by her husband, David Lee Kane, her parents, her older sister, Clarissa Jane Montgomery Benson (Dean), two older brothers Willard Robert Montgomery, Richard Thomas Montgomery, her younger sister, Beverly Montgomery Layton (Hugh), and one grandson, Myles Kane Romney.

Surviving Elaine are her three children, Patricia Lee Kane Romney (Fred), Michael David Kane (Barbara), and Steven Montgomery Kane. There are also many grandchildren and great grandchildren to carry on her legacy.

Elaine grew up in Salt Lake City and attended Wasatch Elementary School, Bryant Junior High, and graduated from East High School in 1946. It was at East High that Elaine met the love of her life, David Lee Kane. He was in her graduating class and one of her fondest memories was watching Dave run on the high school track. She loved to recount how fast he was as a member of the track team.

After graduation, Elaine worked at Z.C.M.I., a local department store, for a while, in various positions and then went on to work as an operator for Mountain Bell Telephone Company until she married Dave on May 8, 1948. After her marriage, she and Dave moved to Helper, Utah, where Dave worked for the Utah Railroad as a general maintenance engineer. While in Helper, Dave and Elaine were sealed in the Manti Utah Temple on February 15, 1951. They lived in Helper for about three years and then moved to Salt Lake City. Except for a few years in Billings, Montana, she and Dave raised their family in the Salt Lake City area. Houston, Texas, Huntington, West Virginia, and Columbia, Missouri, are places they lived in retirement. Finally, they resettled in the Salt Lake Valley in 2010.

Elaine was involved with the Days of '47 Committee for many years. Her mother, Delia, worked on the parade committee and eventually Elaine was drawn into the work. She worked as a judge, chairman of the Horse Parade, co-chairman of the Days of '47 Parade, and eventually was the Chairman of the parade for several years. Her love of the pioneers and her pioneer heritage were important to her. She belonged to The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, The Daughters of the American Revolution, and The Daughters of the Mayflower historical groups. History of her family was important to her. Elaine was always proud of her pioneer heritage and her Irish heritage as her father was born in Belfast, Ireland. She often talked about both with fondness.

Elaine loved to sing and was a member of the Allegro Chorus, a women's singing group, for many years. They traveled all over the Salt Lake Valley and surrounding areas providing music on numerous occasions, including many Sacrament Meetings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which she was a member. As a member of the Church, Elaine served in many callings over the years.

Although she loved to sing and had a lovely voice, Elaine's greatest love was education. After her children were older, she started school at the University of Utah, completing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education in 1969. She taught for many years in several schools in the Granite School District in Salt Lake City. While teaching, she went back to school for more education. She earned her Master of Education Degree at the University of Utah in 1972, her Educational Specialist Degree in 1981, and continued on to earn her Doctorate of Education from Brigham Young University in the spring of 1984. She further studied and completed her Principal's Certificate from BYU. Hundreds of elementary-age school children passed through her classes.

Elaine enjoyed volunteering. When she and Dave lived in Salt Lake City, she volunteered as a "Pink Lady" at Holy Cross Hospital which was located across the street from her childhood home. As she moved around the country, she, and often Dave, would volunteer at the hospitals where her son, Steven, worked.

Those who knew her will miss her sense of humor and her quick wit. She was an avid bridge player and often hosted bridge parties before she started teaching. When she and Dave would move to a new area, one of the first things she did was look for a bridge club to join. Her other love was crossword puzzles. She would get a new book and finish it in a week or two.

These final words must be part of this obituary. It is said that behind every great man is a great woman. For Elaine, behind all of her accomplishments was a wonderful, devoted man named Dave. He was her rock and he always made sure she had everything she needed. Now they are together, again.

Words of appreciation must be given to the excellent care and love Elaine received in the Memory Care Unit of Legacy Village in Taylorsville, Utah. She lived her last years there and was always happy during that time.