Elaine McCall, passed away on Sunday, November 18, 2018 at the age of 90 at her residence at Solomon Valley Manor in Stockton. Elaine was born on March 3, 1928 in Smith County, Kansas to the late Cecil and Loretta (Gouldie) Mathew.
Early in Elaine’s childhood she grew up in Smith County, Kansas where she attended Mt. Pleasant country school up until her freshman year, she stayed with the Dean McCormick family and babysat their two children. Elaine’s sophmore year her mother Loretta relocated Elaine and her brother Richard to Bellaire, KS after the death of Elaine’s father in 1940. She attended school at the Lebanon High School for her sophomore year and rode to school with the Post family from Belleaire. Her and her brother Richard both worked at the local grocery store in Bellaire. During her junior and senior years of high school Elaine and her brother stayed in a small room at a lady’s house in Lebanon during the week.
After Elaine graduated from Lebanon High School she attended Kansas Wesleyan in Salina the summer of 1946 for her teaching certification. She taught for one year but never renewed her certification.
Elaine started dating Johnny McCall during her senior year after his return from the Coast Guard. Johnny was going to go to school in Fort Collins, Colorado and Elaine decided that she was either going to get married or go out to California with a cousin. Elaine and Johnny united in marriage on September 11, 1947. For their honeymoon they took cattle to the State Fair. Elaine and her husband moved to Fort Collins for a short semester when a job opportunity for Johnny was offered by The Ed Fellers Dairy north of Hays, they relocated to Hays and Elaine worked at the Brunswick coffee shop. In 1950 they moved to Stockton and started the Rooks County Dairy. Elaine and Johnny started their family in 1950, they had 6 children, Joelle, Curtis, Joni Marie, Shawn, Patricia, and Shane. On October 3, 1995 Johnny passed away. Elaine later married Glenn Rutherford on November 19, 2001.
Elaine is survived by her children Joelle Alsheimer of Stockton, Curtis McCall (Denise) of Ridgefield, WA, Joni Bellerive (Joey) of Stockton, Shawn McCall (Karen) of Zanesville, OH, Patricia Dunlap (Terry) of Stockton, and Shane McCall (Susan) of Smith Center; brother Richard Mathew (Pat) of Oregon; 11 grandchildren Shawna Atwill (Richard), Bridget Starbuck (Scott), Josephfa Bellerive (Betsy), Jesse Dunlap (Crystal), Nicole Linenberger (Shaun), Karin Alsheimer, Daniel McCall (Jenny), Jodi Johnson, Marshall McCall, Keely McCall, and Hallie Rose McCall; and 13 great grandchildren Taiylor & Hailey Atwill, Dacota, Stone, and Hendrix Starbuck, Will and Parker Linenberger, Emily, and Audrey Bellerive, Oliver, Opal and Orchid McCall, and Jaxon Dunlap.
Elaine is preceded in death by her parents, Cecil and Loretta (Gouldie) Mathew, first husband Johnny, and second husband Glenn, and an older stillborn sibling.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 a.m. Friday, November 23, 2018 at St. Thomas Catholic Church with burial following in the church cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. with a Rosary and Vigil service at 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to the Stockton EMS and may be sent in care of Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 723 N. First, Stockton, KS 67669.