Elaine Shank served her family, church and community — and plenty of great food

Editor’s note: Each Sunday, The Herald-Mail runs “A Life Remembered.” Each story in this continuing series takes a look back — through the eyes of family, friends, co-workers and others — at a member of the community who died recently. Today’s “A Life Remembered” is about Dorothy Elaine Shank, who died on March 3 at the age of 95. Her obituary appeared in The Herald-Mail on March 5.

Elaine Shank’s late husband, J. Franklin Shank, used to say that she never warmed a chair.

“She was an action girl,” daughter Ann Rohrer said.

Whether it was taking care of her kids (and the whole neighborhood), helping to run the family's supermarket or serving her church and community, Elaine was tireless.

“I never saw her take a nap,” daughter Carolyn Motz said.

She used her piano, singing and teaching at St. Mark's Lutheran Church on Hagerstown's Washington Square; was a charter member of the Hagerstown Lioness Club; served with the Washington County Hospital Auxilliary; and was the first female member of the hospital's board of directors.

And boy, could she cook.

"Mom was maybe the best cook I ever knew," Carolyn said.

Her meals were also a sight to see, according to Ann, a retired art teacher.

"Being a visual person, they were not only totally delicious, they were totally beautiful color-wise and in presentation," she said. "Everything was beautiful.

"And there was always dessert and, in the summer months, always iced tea. No stone was left unturned."

Her grandchildren loved her potato soup, and the molded salad that grandson Ben Rider favored became known in the family as "Ben's Salad."

"And whatever you wanted, she made it for you," son-in-law David Motz said. "If I liked sweet potatoes and somebody liked mashed potatoes and somebody else wanted scalloped potatoes she said, 'I'll make 'em all.'

"She did that just to make you happy."

'Even. The. Milk.'

Family trips to Ocean City were a big affair, with people occupying up to two condos and arriving with coolers jammed full of pickled eggs, baked beans, steamers, baked ham, macaroni and cheese and everything else needed to keep the vacationers fed.

"My mom took all the food to Ocean City. Even. The. Milk," Carolyn said with a laugh.

Once one of those coolers loaded with pickled eggs and more somehow got left behind, and Carolyn had to make sure it got there.

"I had to take it on a plane with me and take it through Baltimore and into Salisbury so the family could have that cooler full of food in Ocean City," she said. "And I was terrified that I was going to spill everything."

A spill during Thanksgiving dinner once required the application of the five-second rule.

Elaine lost control of the pan while basting the turkey, and it ended up on the floor, but the bird ultimately was OK.

"It had to be, it was the only one we had," Carolyn said, laughing.

Holiday dinners were a huge affair attended by family, extended family and friends. She made sure widows and widowers had a place to call home for the holidays.

There were 22 people at the last Christmas dinner she hosted in 2013, and everyone took home "granny plates" of leftovers.

"She had so much food that there were several occasions where we forgot that something was still in the refrigerator or the microwave," David said.

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Some of her creations came from her mother's recipes, and were even featured in the deli at the Towne & Country Supermarket on Jefferson Boulevard that she and Franklin owned and operated from 1957 to 1987, mostly under the Foodland banner.

Dorothy Elaine Wieble — Elaine as she liked to be called — grew up on Wise Street in Hagerstown's West End and walked every Sunday to attend St. Mark's nearby. As a teen, she accompanied the pastor to one of the state prisons south of Hagerstown to provide the music to go with his message.

She and Franklin met during a gathering of the Luther League youth group while he was living on Williamsport Pike near Huyetts Crossroads and attending St. Paul's Lutheran Church east of Clear Spring.

Elaine graduated from Hagerstown High School in 1944, but Franklin's mother had to collect his diploma because he was serving in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Franklin and Elaine continued to date after he came home in 1946 and got married on June 16, 1947.

At the time, they were living on Broadway in Hagerstown's North End while he worked at the H.L. Mills Super Market, the distinctive, round-roofed building nestled between Baltimore and Hood streets in downtown Hagerstown. He was eventually promoted to manager.

"He just loved the grocery business," Ann said. "I think he loved it because of the interaction with the people."

'Trying to do what was right'

When the H.L. Mills store became a Grand Union Supermarket the couple took the bold step of building from scratch their Towne & Country store, which became a family enterprise where their daughters worked and learned the business. But, more importantly, the young women learned all about how to treat people.

Franklin and Elaine always dressed professionally, the employees had handbooks and matching smocks and Franklin even bagged customers' orders himself.

"Dad was very meticulous about how the store should be run," Carolyn said. "He was the epitome of a good, honest man."

Elaine was cut from the same cloth.

"There was a foundation of faith and love that we were raised in, of truth and goodness and trying to do what was right," Ann said.

The family eventually moved to Gilbert Avenue and then to Spring Valley north of the city.

After they sold the business, Franklin sold cars and then real estate, and Elaine deepened her involvement with her family, friends and community.

In addition to her keyboard skills on the piano, she produced the Lioness Club newsletter on a manual typewriter at lightning speed.

"I wouldn't have graduated from college if she hadn't typed my term papers," Ann said.

"We bought her an electric typewriter, thinking we were doing her a favor," Carolyn said. "She never got used to the electric typewriter, and when they sold the grocery store the electric typewriter went with it."

Elaine taught Sunday school and sang in the choir at St. Mark's, and sent greeting cards to everyone she knew several times each year.

"Between the Lioness and Lions clubs (of which Franklin was a member) she had bazillions of social contacts," David said.

And she was active in all of her daughters' childhood activities, making sure they got lessons in music, dance and art.

"What she did was nurture her family and nurture the community to the hilt," Ann said. "People would always be surprised when they got a phone call from her and she somehow knew that they had a joy to share or a concern to share."

'6 lifetimes' worth of tasks'

Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were the light of her life, and she was protective of her entire family. It was widely known, for example, that she didn't want anyone to travel in bad weather.

While Ann was in college at Towson University outside Baltimore, Elaine insisted during one Thanksgiving season that she get in her car and come home right away to beat the weather, even though she had obligations at the time as a student teacher.

As a result, Ann was one of the few students who didn't get snowed in at school.

"She was a little spooky and psychic and kind of did know things in advance," Ann said.

If she didn't hear from you she might think the worst, and even if you assured her everything was alright she would sometimes take her investigation to the next level, double-checking with relatives and coworkers.

"She had to know that we were OK," Carolyn said.

Although her health waned in later years, her caring for others remained strong.

She simply dispatched family members to do things like send flowers or greeting cards when she could not.

"She couldn't do it herself, but she delegated to make sure it got done," David said.

The Rev. Karen Rohrer shared memories of her grandmother's talents, love and caring for others in conducting her funeral service.

"So many of you knew Elaine socially — and she was perhaps the most socially graceful person I've encountered," the text of her remarks reads in part. "If you were her friend, you likely received macaroni casseroles in grief, cards 3-5 times a year, and a practiced politeness that perhaps belied the fierce ally you had in her, should that ever be needed.

"She was always elegant and so blisteringly competent that she managed to get about 6 lifetimes' worth of tasks managed to completion in her 95 years."

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: A Life Remembered: Elaine Shank 'was an action girl'