Iris "Elaine" Snyder Entrikin, age 94, died on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, O'Fallon, Illinois, after a brief illness.

Elaine was born on September 6, 1931, in Abilene, Kansas, to Glenn Ward Snyder and Gladys "May" Bowyer Snyder. She was the fifth of their 7 daughters. She helped Glenn and May plant their large garden, fed the chickens (who were pets until their inevitable demise), and harvested potatoes. Around the dinner table, the girls learned to always save the best portion "for Daddy."

The Snyder home was filled with music. With no radio, the girls made their own music, singing while gathered around the old pump organ. Elaine played flute in the Abilene High School Band and sang in the Girls' Choir, graduating in 1949. In 1951, Elaine went on to study art at the University of Kansas prior to her marriage to Donald "Max" Entrikin on November 22, 1952.

Elaine and Max built a house on the Entrikin farm near Holland, Kansas, with the help of neighbors and both fathers. After Max was drafted into the Army, Elaine cared for their two little girls until his return home in late 1955. Max and Elaine traded life on the farm for raising their little ones in married student housing at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Their son Mike was born there in 1956. Elaine continued her art studies in Manhattan, often hauling 3 little children, along with her canvas, palette, brushes, and a picnic lunch, to paint landscapes on the prairie. After Max graduated in 1959, the family moved to Marion, Iowa, where Elaine continued to study painting at Coe College. There, she exhibited her artwork and sold some of her paintings.

A move back to Abilene in 1961 allowed for gatherings with her parents and sisters until Max's new job with NASA took them to northern Ohio, first to Berea in 1962, and finally to Catawba Island, near Port Clinton, in 1963. Elaine was a Girl Scout Troop Leader, and especially enjoyed leading nature walks. She was active with the Catawba Island Garden Club, Literary and Social Club, Child Conservation League, and Trinity United Methodist Church. She worked tirelessly to successfully pass a tax levy for a new library, mobilizing her children to help distribute literature. Life on Catawba Island was filled with beachcombing on Lake Erie, flower arranging, and creating art from natural materials, while advocating for her favorite causes.

After 10 years in Port Clinton, Elaine and Max returned to Kansas, settling in Merriam, where Elaine studied weaving and was a member of the Weaver's Guild. After their marriage ended in 1977, Elaine worked as the Assistant Manager of a craft store in Overland Park, Kansas, while attending Johnson County Community College. She received her Associate in Arts degree in 1978. She continued studying Personnel Management at the University of Kansas Regent's Center until 1985, when successful treatment for cancer intervened.

Elaine treasured her family at Shawnee Presbyterian Church, where she served as a Deacon. While on the Worship and Sacraments Committee, she helped create seasonal banners, made Chrismons and planned special services for the church. Elaine was in her element while "supervising" the decorating crew as they prepared the church for Christmas.

In 2017, she moved to the O'Fallon, Illinois area to be near her daughter Kie living first at Cedarhurst of Shiloh before moving to Cambridge House. She enjoyed lunch with friends, particularly if the menu included her favorite foods:  fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. She enjoyed the social activities, especially Chickenfoot Dominoes. She cared for the gardens and was noted for always having a jigsaw puzzle in process. While in O'Fallon, she attended Faith Lutheran Church, where she loved the liturgy, the music, the congregation, and especially Pastor Candice.

Elaine was an avid reader, genealogist, birdwatcher, gardener, and nature lover. Her favorite book was "the one I am reading at the moment." A farm wife at heart, a ride in the country always lifted her spirits.

Elaine was preceded in death by her parents and her 6 sisters. Her son, Michael Brent "Mike" Entrikin, passed away in 2003. Surviving are two daughters, Kie Zelms (Ron) of O'Fallon and Lyn Entrikin of Snoqualmie, Washington; five grandchildren, Zachary Zelms (Megan), Alison Zelms (Bob Heming), Megan Mellin (Joe), Ben Goering (Gaby), and Hobbes Entrikin Goering; and five great grandchildren, Madison and Molly Zelms, Orion and Walden Mellin, and Gia Goering Moran.

The family kindly requests no flowers. Memorial donations are suggested to your local PBS station, your local library, your local food pantry, or to the Democratic candidate of your choice. Please honor Elaine's memory by registering to vote and by exercising your right to vote in every election. Dismayed with the current political climate, she needed weekly reassurance that cuts to the social safety net would not force her to leave her apartment at Cambridge House. She never missed an election.

Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.wfh-ofallon.com

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1 pm, Saturday, November 29, 2025; the family will receive friends beginning at 12:30 pm, at Faith Lutheran Church, 520 E. US Highway 50, O'Fallon, Illinois, with Rev. Candice Wassell officiating.

Arrangements are entrusted to Wolfersberger Funeral Home, O'Fallon, Illinois.