Elaine Stern's life has been touched by tragedy, shaped by adventure and fuelled by an unbridled zest for living. She lives her life with creativity, humour and with a positive attitude. "This isn't a dress rehearsal," she likes to remind herself.

The journey began in 1949 when Elaine was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, to Melvin and Anne Stern (née Bidlofsky). She was raised with her sister, Janice, and brother, Martin.

Elaine's father, Melvin, was born in Verigin, Sask., where his father, Joseph, and mother, Bessie, ran Stern's General Store. When Elaine's Zaida Joseph died in 1938, the store was sold and the family ultimately moved to Winnipeg where Elaine's Baba Bessie married Ben Aisenstat.

Elaine's mother, Anne, was born in Toronto after the family moved to Canada from Poland. Anne was the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Bidlofsky. Zaida Joseph, whom Elaine never knew, had been a widower with children when he met and married Sarah.

Melvin Stern, Elaine's father, was an air force mechanic during World War II. He met Anne while working in Toronto. After they were married, they settled in Winnipeg and then Moose Jaw where Melvin was a partner in the Ambassador Café.

Elaine attended Ross School and Palliser School in Moose Jaw. She received her Jewish education by attending after-school "cheder" three days a week with Rabbi Stall.

Elaine's memories of small-town living are mostly good ones. She has particularly fond memories of one teacher, Lillian Kidder, who taught Elaine from Grades 1 to 3. Elaine recalls visiting her teacher on several Saturdays with a friend to colour and to have a tea party enjoying the home-made banana bread that Elaine's mother sent.

While being Jewish in a small town was mostly positive, Elaine does recall occasional difficulties - being called a "Dirty Jew" by other children, for example. Her parents told her to ignore these children because they were ignorant and probably heard these comments from their parents. Elaine found it difficult to find Jewish friends in Moose Jaw, but did have the privilege of going to B'nai Brith Camp in Alberta where she enjoyed the social life.

In 1963, her family moved back to Winnipeg. The next year, when Elaine was 15, her mother passed away from breast cancer. Life was never the same after that. Janice no longer lived at home so only Elaine and Martin were at home with their father.

In Winnipeg, Elaine attended J.B. Mitchell School and Grant Park High School. In Moose Jaw, Elaine felt like she knew everybody and everybody knew her. Life in the big city, however, was different. Elaine felt that the girls she was meeting were snooty and too concerned about clothes and fashion. Fortunately, she met Nadine Shapiro and the two became best friends. Nadine gave Elaine the nickname "Snerds" and that nickname has stuck all these years.

Upon graduating high school in 1967, Elaine moved in with her brother-in-law's parents, Gladys and Meyer Klapman. Meanwhile, her father remarried and moved back to Moose Jaw. He passed away in 2005.

Elaine's first job was working for her brother-in-law Barry at Peerless Garments. Elaine soon decided to move to Vancouver where she worked for the Department of Transport and the Bank of Nova Scotia.

In 1970, at the age of 21, Elaine and her friend Phyllis Gilman (Himelfarb) went to Europe for two years and worked at a variety of jobs. In London, Elaine was a secretary and in Spain she worked as a tour guide. After Europe, Elaine and Phyllis went to Tel Aviv and worked as bartenders.

In 1977, Elaine's brother, Martin, was killed in a car accident at the age of 22. While that terrible tragedy was a dark event for the Stern family, there was cause to celebrate six years later when Elaine's daughter, Breanne Jennifer Stern, was born in 1983. As a single parent, Elaine was a diligent mother who made sure her daughter had all the opportunities to develop her talents in dancing and acting. Breanne attended the Brock Corydon Hebrew Bilingual program, Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate and Kelvin High School. She is currently studying business at university. Breanne is the love of Elaine's life and Elaine takes great pride in the strong, independent woman Breanne has become.

Elaine's work life has found her in many different roles. After Europe, she worked as a travel agent and became the City Manager of Eaton's Travel. She then became an outside agent for Tuxedo Travel and Flair Travel. One of her most memorable experiences was arranging a group with her friend Lola Baral to travel to Washington, D.C., in 2003 to tour Washington and visit the Holocaust Museum.

Needing a career change, Elaine and cousin Lewis Stern opened the Hard Clay Café, a ceramic studio where customers could paint their own ceramic pottery pieces. It was a new concept at the time and children's parties were very popular. Once Lewis and Elaine closed the business, Elaine accepted a position with the Manitoba School Improvement Program as the administrator. But Elaine was a lifelong student and in 2006, with the encouragement of friends and family, she attended Red River College. After studying to become a Recreational Facilitator for Older Adults, and graduating with honours, Elaine began her current job at the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre where she is the Program and Volunteer Director. It's a job she cherishes for many reasons, including her special relationship with Executive Director and close friend Marilyn Regiec.

Elaine decided to become a signer in the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba's Endowment Book of Life in order to lead by example and give back to the community that nurtured her. She is very grateful for the support she received - support that helped her to raise her child in the Jewish community with all the pleasures and privileges that go along with that.

There are many family and friends who have special places in Elaine's heart and who contribute to this ongoing recipe, including: the Labmans and Sterns, and Uncle Walter and his family for bringing Jewish holidays to life in Moose Jaw; Uncle Allan and Auntie Donnie for their love and support through trying times and joyous times; and Auntie Layla z"l and Auntie Zora z"l for the love and bond they shared and for becoming Breanne's Babas. Elaine's sister Janice and children Arla and Jason have always been there for her: Arla Klapman has two children, Charli and Myles, and her partner is Stephen Green; Jason Klapman is married to Sarah and have two children, Miller and Gabrielle. Elaine's first cousins David and Marsha, Lewis, Jocelyn, Marlene, Peter and Karen have always had her back, and cousin and friend Susan Stern z"l will always be warmly cherished in Elaine's memory. Elaine is also privileged to have many close friends. Claire Hoffer and Jane Stuart have been an integral part of Elaine's adult life, and Bonnie Rafaeli and Maxine Zimmerman z"l have been precious mentors.

Elaine is grateful for the warmth, hospitality and love shown by these aunts, uncles, cousins and friends over so many years. For Elaine, such love is the very definition of community.