LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Feb. 15, 2025, we suffered the passing of our beloved Elsa Rosalinda Meyer.

She is survived by three children, six grandchildren, four sisters, her brother, her mother, many sisters and brothers-in-laws, and finally me, her husband, Daniel Meyer.

When diagnosed with stomach cancer, Elsa was given just two months to live. Instead, she fought cancer for two years and seven months. She did so with immense dignity and the sparkling good cheer that was well known to all of us who loved her so deeply.

Known as an incredibly original textile artist, she was productive till the end. During this mortal battle, she finished well over 20 quilts (for that is what the world calls her them) … gathering in one last haul of ribbons including a final “Best Of Show.”

Elsa's last days were filled with a steady stream of friends, family, workmates, fellow quilters, as well as dancers, and musicians who knew her so well from the dance floor.

It was never possible to take Elsa for granted. Without effort, she made her presence felt. She was a very beautiful woman who never felt herself to be particularly attractive. One could melt before her smile.

My diminutive wife was born into crushing poverty in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She was not to let a very rough childhood crush her. Instead she learned to become a graphic arts camera operator for the Honduran government's Ministry of Culture & Tourism.

Once in the US, she showed single-minded focus to learn English, become a citizen, finish her GED then complete an AA at Yuba College.

Thereupon fate stepped in and she became a claims rep for the Social Security Administration right here in Lakeport. That career was notable for the efficiency and, far more importantly, for the kindness with which Elsa helped countless, sometimes desperate citizens to navigate an often opaque system.

So, now she's gone. She did not waste her time on this Earth. I live in a house surrounded by the beauty she created. Her luminous smile was the lovely evidence of the deep soul that has now passed from this world.

We will celebrate Elsa's life on March 22 at 11 a.m. at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 1625 N. High St. in Lakeport.