Obituary for Elaine Gentle Good
Elaine Good
Elaine Gentle Good
DOB: May 25, 1924
Place of birth: Rochester, NY
Parents Names: Louise Richmond, Francis William Gentle.
Elaine was born in Rochester NY and in 1926 her parents moved to London, England and thus she grew up in her father’s home country. One of three sisters, she attended university for one year before WWII and its impact took her back to London to work. She fulfilled a number of roles during the war: care of the children of soldiers whose wives were also at work, briefly as a Land Girl and finally as a support staff member at an ear, nose and throat hospital. She had many stories to tell about the Blitz and the experience of coming of age in the 1939-1945 period which came together in a book she published in 2002 entitiled We Went to England.
After the war, Elaine came to America to be with her mother’s family back in Rochester. At a Christmas Party in 1946, she met Romer Franklin Good and they were married in September 1947. Romer was an engineer and was himself a WWII veteran. They lived on first one and then another small farm south of Rochester and there raised five children.
Elaine was widowed in 1978 and thus began the longest phase of her life. She immersed herself in the amateur acting community in Rochester – most notably, Blackfriars. She played major roles in productions like Sunday in the Park with George, Quilters, Into the Woods and Great Expectations. This passion was supported by her lifelong love of literature, her skill at artistic pursuits like sewing and painting and her deep respect for drama as a means of communication.
In addition to acting, she’d served on the Vestry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, on the Board of Directors for one of the first community childcare centers in the area and as a member of an important and influential Diocesan Committee which supported congregational development in the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester. She also worked for a time at B. F. Forman’s department store.
At the age of 80, Elaine left Rochester and came to Doylestown PA to be nearer her family. She again became involved first in acting and then with the Center for Learning in Retirement at Delaware Valley College. She served on the Board there until she was 94 and taught classes as varied as Literature (Jane Austen, Thackeray, Dickens); Acting and History (The Georges: Kings of England; Napoleon; The Tudors to name a few). She also was an active member of Trinity Church, Buckingham.
Elaine is survived by her five children: Anne Fox of Joppa MD, John Good of Mill Creek PA, Alison Kouzmanoff of Germantown NY, Jean Good of High Bridge NJ and Katherine Semisch of Doylestown PA. She is also survived by two beloved nieces, 12 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
A Memorial Service will be held at Trinity Buckingham in May.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Trinity Buckingham.
Send condolences to www.varcoethomasfuneralhome.com
Elaine Gentle Good
DOB: May 25, 1924
Place of birth: Rochester, NY
Parents Names: Louise Richmond, Francis William Gentle.
Elaine was born in Rochester NY and in 1926 her parents moved to London, England and thus she grew up in her father’s home country. One of three sisters, she attended university for one year before WWII and its impact took her back to London to work. She fulfilled a number of roles during the war: care of the children of soldiers whose wives were also at work, briefly as a Land Girl and finally as a support staff member at an ear, nose and throat hospital. She had many stories to tell about the Blitz and the experience of coming of age in the 1939-1945 period which came together in a book she published in 2002 entitiled We Went to England.
After the war, Elaine came to America to be with her mother’s family back in Rochester. At a Christmas Party in 1946, she met Romer Franklin Good and they were married in September 1947. Romer was an engineer and was himself a WWII veteran. They lived on first one and then another small farm south of Rochester and there raised five children.
Elaine was widowed in 1978 and thus began the longest phase of her life. She immersed herself in the amateur acting community in Rochester – most notably, Blackfriars. She played major roles in productions like Sunday in the Park with George, Quilters, Into the Woods and Great Expectations. This passion was supported by her lifelong love of literature, her skill at artistic pursuits like sewing and painting and her deep respect for drama as a means of communication.
In addition to acting, she’d served on the Vestry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, on the Board of Directors for one of the first community childcare centers in the area and as a member of an important and influential Diocesan Committee which supported congregational development in the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester. She also worked for a time at B. F. Forman’s department store.
At the age of 80, Elaine left Rochester and came to Doylestown PA to be nearer her family. She again became involved first in acting and then with the Center for Learning in Retirement at Delaware Valley College. She served on the Board there until she was 94 and taught classes as varied as Literature (Jane Austen, Thackeray, Dickens); Acting and History (The Georges: Kings of England; Napoleon; The Tudors to name a few). She also was an active member of Trinity Church, Buckingham.
Elaine is survived by her five children: Anne Fox of Joppa MD, John Good of Mill Creek PA, Alison Kouzmanoff of Germantown NY, Jean Good of High Bridge NJ and Katherine Semisch of Doylestown PA. She is also survived by two beloved nieces, 12 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
A Memorial Service will be held at Trinity Buckingham in May.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Trinity Buckingham.
Send condolences to www.varcoethomasfuneralhome.com