Georgia Capitol mourns death of longtime House aide

Elaine Myers is remembered as ‘beacon of joy.’

The state Capitol is mourning the death of Elaine Myers, a longtime House employee.

The Sharpsburg resident retired from the General Assembly in 2014 but returned to work part time in the House majority leader’s office during the 2015 session. She then worked as one of the page desk supervisors in the 2016 session, but illness prevented her from returning to the page desk for the 2017 session.

Myers was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in February and died Saturday. She was 73.

“Elaine Myers was an institution at the state Capitol,” said House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge. “She was a beacon of joy in an environment that can sometimes get caught up in political conflict and tension. She served this state with a cheerful heart and with grace.”

State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver said Myers helped her find her footing when she suddenly became chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee in the middle of a session after her predecessor was stripped of his post.

“We all loved her. From my early days to her last days, she was so kind, so helpful and so steady for all of us,” Oliver said. “There are people at the Capitol who really make it work, and Elaine Myers was one of them.”

Oliver, a Decatur Democrat, called Myers a parental figure at a statehouse that desperately needed one.

“She truly cared about all of us,” Oliver said. “She’s impossible to replace in terms of what she meant to all of us.”

State Rep. Barry Fleming remembers meeting Myers in 1986 as a wide-eyed intern for the House Judiciary Committee. She encouraged him to follow a bill through the twists and turns of the statehouse — committee hearings, votes, drama and all — to learn the knotted ropes of the statehouse.

“She wanted me to learn the process,” said Fleming, a Republican from Harlem. “Not only was there always a smile on her face, but she made it her mission to make sure the least of us — the interns at the Capitol — got the full experience.”

Years later, after Republicans took control of the House and he got his pick of assistants, Fleming was quick to tap Myers. It was a testament to how well she knew the inner workings of the Capitol. “She was dedicated to her work, and she treated the members and the staff as her family and would do anything she could to help us at her job,” Fleming said.

Services are scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, at Peachtree City Christian Church, 500 Kedron Drive, Peachtree City, Ga. 30269. Visitation will be held an hour earlier. A few years ago, House lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution commending Myers upon her retirement. It is filled with kind words about her legacy, but these perhaps are the kindest: “Elaine raised many of us in this chamber as well as many of those out in the halls.”