Elaine E. Dyson

1937 - 2014

Elaine E. Dyson
May 12, 1937 - November 15, 2014
Resident of Palo Alto
A long time Palo Alto resident, Elaine passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family and friends, on November 15th after a long battle with dementia and enduring a broken heart after losing the love of her life, Norman, her husband of 55 years. Norman preceded her in death by 36 days after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. Elaine is survived by her sons, Stephen and Matthew, daughter-in-law Lisa Alcala Dyson, grandsons Colin, Spencer & Dylan, her family in the UK including her brother Frank, sister Sylvia, cousin Linda, and a large extended family known as The English Mob here in the United States.
Born May 12,1937 in Manchester, England, Elaine had a lively childhood full of love and laughter, despite enduring the hardships during and after World War II. She met Norman in the early 1950s and they eventually married in 1959 so she could join him in Leeds during his graduate school. In 1962 they set off together on the adventure of a lifetime, boarding the RMS Sylvania in Liverpool and setting sail for the United States. At the time the plan was for Norman to spend a year or two doing postdoctoral research while they saw what America was really like, but it soon turned into their new home with stops in Madison, San Francisco and Boulder, before finally settling down in Palo Alto.
Elaine's greatest joy was that of family, and being a wife, mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, cousin, friend and aunt to numerous relatives and friends across the globe. Seven years in the making, Elaine cherished motherhood and was thrilled to be a mother to her two sons, Stephen and Matthew. Together, as a family, they saw America and the rest of the world with all its treasures, laughing, making memories and taking pictures along the way. Over the years they entertained visitors from all over the world, sharing their new home country and creating many happy memories together as a couple and family.
A warm and generous hostess, Elaine opened her home to neighborhood children and family friends for art projects, fun in the swimming pool, many good meals and lots of laughter. She was always thinking of others on her travels, shopping for friends and family and stashing her gifts away for just the right occasion. She was also known for creating one-of-a-kind dishes, as she never used recipes, and we never knew if we would taste them again. Elaine loved all things beautiful and always had just the right thing to say at the perfect moment.
Elaine lived a good and happy life, full of love, laughter and adventure. She will never be forgotten but kept in our hearts and memories as the lovely wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, friend, sister and aunt that she was.
A celebration of life will be held December 5, 2014 at 11:00 at Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto with a reception to follow at the Palo Alto Elks Lodge. All are welcome.
In lieu of flowers, the family instead suggests donations to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org) or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (www.pancan.net).