Elgin Upshaw

Elgin Marleen (Graves) Upshaw, daughter of the late Russell and Helen (Roth) Graves, was born on February 9, 1941, in Booneville, Indiana, and passed away on February 4, 2025, at home in Mountain Grove, Missouri.

Elgin graduated from Central High School in Evansville, Indiana. She met and fell in love with Lewis Vernon “Bill” Upshaw. They were married on July 23, 1961, in Evansville, Indiana. Three daughters were born to this union.

They made their home in Mountain Grove, Missouri, and became members of the Mountain Grove Free Will Baptist Church. She worked for and retired from GTE, which later became Verizon. For many years, she served her community as the local representative for the American Cancer Society and Welcome Wagon. She also greatly enjoyed making flower arrangements and painting.

Elgin was preceded in death by her parents, sisters, Ellen and Nancy, brothers, Sam, Frank and Pat, as well as her loving husband of 63 years, Bill.

She is survived by her daughters, LaSchell Bearden (Michael) of Bentonville, Arkansas, Andrea Adams (Pat) of Rogersville, Missouri, Sarah DeFazio (Rich) of Shingle Springs, California, her granddaughters, Meryl Otto (Ross), Catherine Chapman (Zachary), Bethany Williams (Logan), Khrystina Martin (Cole), her great-grandsons, Gideon Davitt and Kaleb Chapman, her sister, Vera Mattingly (Joe) , and her brother, Mike Graves (Glenda).

The family would like to thank Meryl and Ross for the loving care they provided the family’s matriarch, so she was able to remain in her home, as Bill would have wanted.