Elaine Janice Oberley

Elaine Janice Oberley, 81, of Fridley, MN passed away July 18, 2025. Elaine was born March 10, 1944 to Clifford and Mildred Olson of Watson, MN. Elaine was born into the family 11 years after sister Charlene "Chuckie" and 10 years after her brother, Roger. Elaine enjoyed being the baby of the family and Mom and Dad enjoyed doting on her. She grew up on the farm playing with her ponies and developed a lifelong love of horses. Many a Kentucky Derby, Elaine would don a fancy hat and pick a favorite to win. She also enjoyed her farm dogs and went on to breed German Shepherds and love many other four legged friends over the years.

Elaine married Brenton Tibbetts in 1963, and they were blessed with two daughters: Joy in 1967 and Lori in 1970. Elaine married Tony Wilson in 1981 and gained two step-daughters, Kelly and Tara. In 2003, Elaine married Eugene "Gene" Oberley and welcomed into her life her faithful daughter-in-law, Julie and a step-son, Raymond "Ray". Elaine and Gene enjoyed many years together. In addition to several road trips, they enjoyed traveling to Hawaii. They especially loved square dancing at Spares and Pairs near their longtime home in Bloomington, MN. Elaine also traveled with her sister, Chuckie, to Italy and Norway. Elaine loved meeting her Norwegian cousins and was especially proud of her 100% Norwegian ancestry. She taught her children and grandchildren the art of lefse making.

In her career, Elaine first worked as an assistant to a doctor at the U of MN. She spent many years at the City of Fridley as an assistant to the City Administrator. She ended her career as an executive assistant at Northwest Airlines. Elaine was renowned for her extremely fast typing speed with no errors. At home, she always enjoyed managing the finances and kept good records.

Grandchildren were a big part of Elaine’s life. Her first grandson, Joshua “Josh” was a delight to her and she enjoyed watching him grow and play alongside her German Shepherds. Josh recently adopted her last little dog - Luco. Her first granddaughter, Emily, was born on Syttende Mai - May 17th, Norway’s Constitution Day. Grandma Elaine came waving a small Norwegian Flag when she came to see her. Her second grandson, Wilbur, was married this June and she so wanted to attend the wedding but was not able to travel. She was enjoying seeing more wedding photos the day before she passed. Sophia was always a blessing to Grandma - especially when Sophia added all the roll-out shelves to Grandma’s kitchen. Olivia - the youngest granddaughter - was just told by Grandma how much she enjoyed taking care of her every week at MacPhail while her siblings took music lessons. Elaine also cherished their grandchildren from Gene's side: Kevin, Chris, Raymond Jr, Matthew, and Tori along with the great-grandchildren. She also liked keeping up with her step-grandchildren: Jacob, Keren, Lyla, Winter, and Carter.

Elaine is survived by her husband, Gene. Daughters: Joy, Lori (James). Step-daughters: Kelly (Jonathan), Tara (Jim). Daughter-in-law: Julie. Step-son: Ray (Heather). Grandchildren: Josh (Amanda), Emily (Mitchell), Wilbur (Kivi), Sophia, Olivia. Step-grandchildren, step-great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and nephews: Gary and Robert “Bob”.