Elaine Ann (Stern) Belanger

Elaine Ann (Stern) Belanger died peacefully at home in Maplehurst, Wisconsin on August 20, 2023, with family members present and under the comforting care of Hope Hospice.

She was born in Bismark, North Dakota on May 8, 1959 to Selma and Herbert Stern. She lived in the hardscrabble farming community of Halliday, North Dakota until the age of eight, when her family packed their few belongings and boarded the train to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

Elaine was always quick with a smile and generous with her time, especially with the younger generations. She enjoyed mentoring her Girl Scouts and admired founder Juliette Gordon Low and her mission to live a life of courage, confidence and character.

Elaine began her working career at the Wisconsin State Medical Society, honing her organizational skills and developing a lifelong respect for efficiency. Overseeing an office of coworkers, or just observing the movements of a restaurant wait staff, she always appreciated the flow of a smooth operation.

On June 14, 2002 she was wed to David Belanger, moved to the Medford, Wisconsin area, and joined him in the family publishing business, Countryside Publications. She was instrumental in the launching of Backyard Poultry magazine. At first reluctant, “What’s there to know about chickens?” she dove into the task with her usual vigor and was soon happy to tell you more about the types, varieties, diseases and anatomy of poultry than you ever cared to know. Backyard Poultry became a great success.

She and her husband Dave left the world of publishing and Wisconsin’s frigid winters with a move to Florida, where she spent her days working at the Key West Garden Club. Set in a crumbling brick pre-Civil War era fort right on the beach, filled with thousands of well-tended tropical plants, she would greet visitors during the day and served as a docent at weddings in the evening, often in the same long day. She liked the work and loved that she never had a grumpy “customer.” Visitors from all over the world, often on winter vacation, walked through the arched entrance with a smile.

Elaine and her family remained very close throughout her lifetime and frequent trips to Florida or Wisconsin were taken to be together. She especially looked forward to visits with her daughter Elizabeth and granddaughter Sophie.

She was an avid reader with a book (or six) always close at hand.

Survivors include her husband David Belanger, daughter Elizabeth Mueller, and granddaughter Sophie Mueller; brothers Daniel Stern (Barbara), Richard Stern (Krisanne), Kendall Stern, and Robert Stern; sisters Jeanne Jongebloed, Sharlyne Tetzlaff (Ray Kreuziger), Dorothy Janz (Pete); and 18 nieces and nephews.

Her many close lifelong friends included Donna Schuman, Jill Linde, Sherry Stern and Yvonne LaVenture-Bath.

She was preceded in death by her mother, father, and sister Autumn.

No services will take place. A Celebration of Life will be planned at a later date. 

Hemer-Pickerign Funeral & Cremation Services of Medford and Rib Lake is serving the family. Please visit www.hemerfuneralservice.com to share condolences online.

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