Obituary of Elaine Millman

Elaine Charvick grew up in a loving and warm home, filled with family, friends and close community on Denver's west side. Having a dark complexion, she was nicknamed Charcoal "Charkie" by fellow west sider, Sherman Finesilver. This nickname stuck with her all of her life. After her father's death when she was four, she and her mother moved to her grandma and grandpa Hoffberg's, where they lived above the family grocery. Always passionate about dance and music, she taught dance to a group of younger west side girls. After graduating from East High School, Charkie attended CU in Boulder. Then she worked as a secretary for Albert Ross Refrigeration. Upon meeting a vibrant and ambitious young man from Chicago, Leonard, they courted and fell in love, apparently after his first six dates didn't work out. Number seven was always her lucky number. After marrying in 1950, Len and Elaine had four children, three daughters and one son. Charkie spent her time involved on committees, doing charity work, and made fabulous dinners for her family. She delighted her friends by singing her original lyrics to them for special occasions, and by holding them spellbound with a joke, imitating various dialects, that lifted hearts and spirits with laughter. Len and Elaine had many happy years playing tennis, golf, cards, traveling the world, and socializing with their large group of dear friends. Charkie was a top-notch bridge and pan player, doing daily newspaper crosswords puzzles and Scrambles , continually keeping her mind active. Elaine was a bright star in life, now resting high in heaven, shining on us all and illuminating the way. We love you Mom.