OBITUARIES
Elizabeth Strain
86, Holtville
Esther Valencia
79, Calipatria
Aug. 21, 1933 - May 22, 2020
Beloved Mother, Aunt, Grandma and Great- Grandma. Born in Yakima, WA, long- time Holtville resident Beth Strain passed away F riday, M ay 22nd, after a long illness. She was 86.
Adopted as an infant and raised in Yakima, Beth was in B luebirds, Camp Fire Girls, and sang in the chorus. She earned extra money wrapping gifts at her father’s pharmacy, eventually working as a clerk and helping at the soda fountain. She loved ice skating at the local rink in w inter, swimming in summer. She learned t o sew her own clothes and loved sewing and quilting for herself and others. She was active in Job’s Daughters and Eastern Star.
A Graduate o f Yakima Senior High School in 1951, Beth w orked at h er father’s pharmacy and met her future husband on a blind date. Nearly 6 feet tall herself, her only question about the date was, “How t all is he?”, and hearing 6’4”, she accepted. Stationed at a nearby Air Force b ase, Jim Strain, of El Centro, California, turned out to be “someone [ I] could look up to”. During a holiday visit to his hometown in 1954, the two eloped to Yuma’s Gretna Green Chapel, but lived in Moses Lake, W A, as newlyweds. T heir growing family moved back to the Imperial Valley with three children in 1959. By 1967 they had six children and eventually also fostered two local boys short- term. She would do anything and everything, without complaint, for her family.
Mrs. Strain loved baking, which led her to be recruited into leadership with Holtville’s C ub Scouts, 4- H, PTA, Bluebirds, the High School Tennis Team, and later the I.V. Gem & Mineral Society and Board of Education. Besides cooking, her hobbies were rock hunting, reading, shopping for Avon, s ewing, and knitting. H er family joined the Holtville Church of the Nazarene and she taught children’s S unday School for several years. H er arts & crafts for Vacation Bible School helped kids create meaningful keepsakes. The Gem & Mineral Building at the Mid Winter Fair was homeaway- from- home for decades; Beth awarded jewelry and other prizes she’d helped to c reate at the popular “Gem Tree” exhibit. She also taught cooking and sewing through 4- H and judged these categories at the Fair.
Aiming to spend days at home for her family, Beth worked “graveyard” shift at E CCH (now ECRMC) beginning in 1972. She was a Ward C lerk and Nurses’ Aide who thrived on caring for others, wherever she was assigned. Her giving nature, humility, f aith, and sense of humor could always be relied on to help patients, colleagues, friends, and family through any crisis. Osteoarthritis forced her retirement from the hospital in 1 985. She attended her grandkids’ sports events, taught her skills to others, and created a healthy sense of warmth and humor in all of us.
Mrs. Strain was preceded in death by her parents, Lorne and Rosina Fulton of Y akima, WA, and husband, James Strain of Holtville, CA.
She is survived by her children, Douglas Strain of H oltville, CA, Carol Loop and Sharon Dresher of E l Centro, C A, Beth Ann Melrose of B eaumont, CA, Laura Orear of Hanford, CA, and Wendy Ravenel of Escondido, CA; sister- in- law, P attie Young of E l Centro; grandchildren, Michelle Keperling of S an Diego, CA, Sara Quinn and Dustin Loop of Imperial, CA, Nicole Bennett of S an Diego, CA, Tyler Bennett of H oltville, CA, Hannah Antinucci of Cherry Valley, C A, Hollie Jahary of Hemet, CA, Trevor Orear of Y ucaipa, CA, Chelsea Brewer of Tulsa, OK, and Tristen O rear of B oise, ID. Additionally survived by 9 great- grandchildren, with one more due this summer.
Services at E vergreen Cemetery to be announced at a f uture date.
In Lieu of flowers, Mrs. Strain’s f amily encourages contributions to the Imperial Valley Gem & Mineral Society Scholarship Fund, P.O. B ox 1721, El Centro, CA 92244.