Elma UDALL Obituary

UDALL, Elma Born December 23, 1917 in St. Johns, Arizona and died October 9, 2017 in Tucson, Arizona. She was a superb executive assistant. She helped develop the A-Bomb at Oak Ridge, Tenn. During WWII she was in Egypt and Iran with the Red Cross. Later, she was with the State Department and the CIA in London, Moscow, Berlin, Budapest, Stockholm, Helsinki, Vietiane, London. She had a full and, as she described it, "exciting" life. She was an inspiration to those who knew her. She will be greatly missed by everyone including her surviving siblings and many nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends. She was the Udall Family historian and genealogist. She connected many generations of Udalls and their extended relatives from England and across the US. A lifelong and fierce democrat, Elma took great pride in the accomplishments of her siblings and their families, relishing in the excitement of politics and people. Elma was a world traveler before it was easy, she was a generous and loving person to every family member and we will all miss her lively spirit and kind nature. In lieu of flowers, and in honor of Elma's own giving, donations may be made to Planned Parenthood, the Democratic National Party or any non-profit organization of your choice.

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Published by Arizona Daily Star on Oct. 17, 2017.

Memories and Condolences
for Elma UDALL

7 Entries

Oliver Buckle

July 4, 2023

Elma found us in north London when she was working at the embassy. My maternal grandmother´s maiden name was Udall. As a little boy I would sit on her lap, fascinated by her thunder bird necklace, and she explained we were cousins of the same generation. She and my mother traveled all over researching our ancestry in church records. She was full of anecdotes and good humour and a favourite in our home, which she visited when ever she was in London.

John Hussey

July 23, 2018

Elma had been a dear friend of my father since 1960,sharing their common passion of researching their family history.My wife and I were privileged to have met Elma on several occasions - when she visited us at our home in Hong Kong, with her cousin, and also on several occasions in the UK. She was a wonderful person with a great sense of humour and her worldly travels were always of immense interest.I still have her last letter to us from a few years ago - regretfully we were never able to visit her in Tucson.My family (Hussey's) and the Udall's were linked via the County of Dorset in England.My wife and I now live back in England after many years abroad and I have many fond memories of my father and mother talking about meeting Elma.

Peter Steere

March 6, 2018

I worked closely with Elma when I was Congressional Archivist at the University of Arizona Library Special Collections from 1987-1997 working with the Udall Family Papers. I will always remember her wonderful sense of humor and her encyclopedic knowledge of Udall Family History. I will miss her good cheer and wonderful stories about growing up in St. Johns, Arizona.

Dorothy J.S. Renaud

January 22, 2018

Elma is my 5th oousin, 2x removed. She contacted me several years ago to confirm, and then sent me a huge asst. or family info with certs., etc. and also a copy of "The Forgotten Founders" by Stewart L. Udall. I, in turn, told her of some kin in England, and put her in touch with a cousin in Chideock, Dorset who sent Elma a book of the history of Chideock and some family members mentioned therein. Elma and I kept in touch. We never met physically, but 'knew' of each other and our family relationship. I have read of her many adventures and life experiences, which I find very exciting and interesting to say the least. She is an amazing lady, and I'm proud to be related to her. (My maternal grandfather was Henry "George" Udall, b.1884,Bristol, England, emigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1906. His father, John Udall, born in Chideock, Dorset, England. My mother, Sylvia Dorothy Udall,(married Geo.Harrison) b. Toronto, 1911, and myself, Dorothy Jean Shirley Harrison, b. 1944, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and now living in Trenton, Ontario, Canada, with my husband, Carl "Jack" Renaud.)

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Marianne Reed

January 6, 2018

Elma Ufall was a lifelong friend of my Mother, Lillian Drawneck Schwartz. They met in San Francisco after the war in a steno pool at the FBI field office. When "Aunt" Elma arrived at the office, mom immediately asked her share an apartment as "Elma was the most interesting person there" They often spoke of those years whenever they got together. Sometimes when I was little I would walk into the room and catch them laughing hysterically and I knew they had had some adventures. They were the best of friends. I asked my mother why we called Elma "Aunt" and she said because some friends are so wonderful they become family. It was in San Fransisco where that my mother met my father, Frank Schwartz, who she married and together they had eight children. Aunt Elma made sure to stop and visit Lillian and Frank whenever she returned to the states or in between assignments. As each child was born, she would return and get to know all of us, bringing little presents, regaling us with stories, and she was our favorite adult! After a trip to England, she packed up a set of English Bone china for Mom that was passed to my sister. When she came to visit she represented to me what was possible for a woman to achieve professionally, as we had no one in our family remotely like her. I loved her very much, as did all of my siblings. I last saw her in Tucson, when I was lucky to introduce her to my husband Rexton. She was the same, wonderful Aunt Elma. I know she and Lillian are busy catching up in heaven.

City

October 17, 2017

Elma was an invaluable counselor and friend to hundreds of Udall scholars. My wife Donna and I got to know her well. We shall greatly miss her wonderful stories and sense of humor. May she rest in peace.

Chris Helms

terry bracy

October 17, 2017

Elma Udall was in every dimension a wonderful
person who became a role model for many generations of Udall Scholars. I am privileged to have known her well.

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