Elaine Porteous

D. Elaine Porteous

May 18, 1935-December 10, 2019

Elaine Porteous of Olathe, Kansas went to be with her Lord and Savior in her eternal home surrounded by family at Overland Park Regional Hospital after a hard-fought battle with pneumonia.  She was born May 18, 1935 in Topeka, Kansas to Paul and Freida Senne.

She was a Topeka native for over 77 years until moving to the Overland Park area to be near her children. Elaine graduated from Topeka High School and then graduated cum laude from Washburn University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1957. She was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and continued to be an active alum volunteering her time as an advisor for many years. She was involved in the Topeka community as a member of the Junior League, Kansas Bankers Association and Stephens Minister in her church, St. John’s Lutheran.

Elaine’s greatest joy was being “mom” to her two children valuing the 11 years she got to stay home with them.  Elaine was a fiercely devoted mother making many sacrifices to ensure their well-being. She loved her grandchildren too - always wanting to know every detail of what was occurring in their lives. As a single parent, Elaine returned to the workforce as a banker at North Plaza State Bank and remained in that profession for over 25 years when she retired as an Assistant Vice President in the Loan Department at UMB of Topeka in 2000. Prior to losing her eyesight, she was an avid reader, club bridge player and excellent cook. Probably her biggest gift, however, was that of conversationalist. She loved to visit with her family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. She knew a lot about so many topics:  sports, politics, faith etc. and could therefore, connect with so many different people.

She is preceded in death by her parents: Paul Senne and Freida Maas Senne and her brother Donald Senne.

Elaine is survived by her son, Kirk Porteous (Karen) of Overland Park, KS, daughter, Sara Griffin (Bryan) of Overland Park, KS, sister Marilyn Gault (Jim) of Overland Park, KS, 7 wonderful grandchildren: Caleb, Joshua (Meredith), Luke, Hannah, Allison, Ashlyn, Abbey and nephew, Thomas Gault.

Memorial services will be held on Friday, December 20 at St. John’s Lutheran church, 901 Fillmore St., Topeka, KS at 11 a.m. with a reception following in the fellowship hall.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to St. John’s Lutheran Church of Topeka or Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care (www.kchospice.org/donation).