Celebrating Elva Thaemert

Elva chats with Jack Curtin at Bread picnic

When I first moved to Albuquerque back in 1992, one the first things I did was to find out if there was a local Bread for the World group.  Surely enough, there was a dedicated group of individuals led by Lutheran Campus Pastor Howard Corry, which met monthly to talk about Bread issues and write letters. 

One of our early activities was a picnic at a park near Lomas and Girard.  (I was fairly new in Albuquerque then, and I found out that picnics in the summer can be sometimes be interrupted by monsoon rains).

One of the members of this illustrious group was Elva Thaemert.  I was impressed by her dedication to Bread and her passion for social justice.  My wife Karen and I sometimes gave her rides to Bread events.  And as I got to know her, I heard some great stories about Bread.  Elva said she and her husband Emil were friends with Bread's founder Art Simon when he was assigned to Colorado.  (Elva would chuckle when she related how her husband used to give Art haircuts).

When I think about how Bread New Mexico came to be, I can't help but think about dedicated people like Elva, Howard Corry, Titus Scholl, John Haaland and many others who devoted one Saturday a month to help build the Bread movement locally.

Elva passed away on June 5 here in Albuquerque.  We will have a chance to honor her memory at a Memorial Service on Sunday, August 7, at St. Paul Lutheran Church (Elva's home congregation), 1100 Indian School Rd NE, at 2:00 p.m. 

And even though Elva is no longer physically with us, she and family made sure that Bread for the World would be part of her legacy.  They asked that all memorial donations be sent to Bread for the World (425 3rd St. SW, Washington, D.C. 20024) and/or Lutheran World Relief (700 Light, Baltimore, MD, 21230).

Fell free to leave a comment sharing your memories about Elva.