Elaine S. Stewart
Obituary
Elaine S. Stewart was born May 4, 1933 to the union of Joseph A. Douglas, Sr. and Jeanette C. Douglas in Washington, DC. She departed this life on November 28, 2020 for a well-deserved rest.
Growing up, Elaine was educated in DC Public Schools and graduated from Cardozo High School. Elaine started attending Peace Baptist Church and officially joined in the late 1940s. With a simplistic flare for colorful clothing, and a love for shoes – preferably stilettos – Elaine was a known fashionista whose keen eye for detail and her elegant style shined through her life’s work. From an early adult age, Elaine worked as a stock girl and eventually became a salesclerk at high-end women’s clothing stores Erlebacher’s and Pasternak’s and William & Allen shoe store, another high-end retailer for women, in the District of Columbia. Her career path led to working with the U.S. Department of State, where she served as a retail buyer for their gift shop under the Foreign Affairs Recreation Association (FARA). She was meticulous in selecting meaningful and practical items – clothing, household goods and Department of State Souvenirs – for foreign service members who frequented the store. She served in this role for more than 30 years until her retirement.
After retiring from the federal government, Elaine tapped into her event planning skills by serving, in a part-time capacity, as the coordinator for senior activities for the Greater Washington Urban League. She planned regular field trips and daily activities for local seniors. Her event planning skills spanned years as she took pride in planning weddings, showers and collaborating with her first cousins in planning the annual Camp Family Reunion.
Elaine’s family meant everything to her. She was the oldest of two children, and always looked out for her younger brother Joseph Andrew “Bug” Douglas, Jr. Her 42 first cousins were her best friends as they looked forward to planned and impromptu gatherings; especially birthday parties. From her first marriage to Ralph Shanklin, Elaine gave birth to her first daughter Sharon J. Shanklin. When this marriage dissolved, she married Bennie Stewart and from this union she gave birth to her second daughter Pamela A. Stewart. When her second marriage dissolved, she became the loving wife of Henry S. White, until his death. After mourning the death of her third husband, Elaine was married to John Davis until his death.
Always a woman on the go, Elaine enjoyed shopping and traveling. She enjoyed taking her annual trips to the Neptune Festival in Virginia Beach and taking bus trips to Englishtown, NJ and the Amish Country, PA. She also enjoyed weeklong trips to the mountains in the Shenandoah. She loved to cook for her family with her specialty being her seafood salad. As part of her eclectic persona, Elaine became a collector of frog figurines. Always full of wisdom, Elaine spoke her mind, offering tough love, but still showing grace. Elaine will always be remembered as “Ma, grandma, great-grandma, and Aunt Elaine.”
She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Sr. and Jeanette and her brother Joseph Jr. Left to celebrate her new life are her two daughters Sharon J. Shanklin-Browne and Pamela A. Stewart-Harper (Jeffery); her two grandchildren Tiffany E. Browne and Andre’ B. Stewart; one great-granddaughter Taylor A. Browne and a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.
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