Elaine E. (Mrs. Harry) Breitbarth, 85, of West Point, died Thursday, February 26, 2009 at her home.

Funeral Services will be 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Grace Lutheran Church with Reverend Christian Meier officiating. Burial will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitation will be 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Saturday with family present 3:00 to 5:00 at Stokely Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to Mount Hope Cemetery or Grace Lutheran Building Fund.

Elaine was born April 4, 1923 on a farm east of West Point to Louis and Myrtle Kauffman Schrader. She entered Grace Lutheran Church through confirmation on April 10 1938. Elaine graduated from West Point High School with the class of 1941, and never missed an Alumni Banquet since. On June 27, 1943, Elaine married Harry J. Breitbarth at Grace Lutheran Church. The couple resided in West Point where Elaine worked, in the early years, at West Point Cold Storage, candling eggs. She worked many years in the newsroom at the West Point Democrat, and then at Bob’s Bakery. Elaine enjoyed writing correspondence for the Norfolk Daily News, all the while providing media releases for Stalp and currently Stokely Funeral Homes. But what Elaine will be most remembered for, was her countless volunteer hours to her church, Grace Lutheran, and local community organizations like Hospital Auxiliary, Red Cross Blood Mobile, and Cuming County Historical Society. She was currently serving on the Thrivent for Lutherans chapter 30240 Board as communications officer and served as worship and music committee chairperson at Grace Lutheran Church for many years. Either on foot in the earlier years or chauffeured by Harry in the later, Elaine was always out and about promoting a community project, or tackling a fund raiser. Her tireless hard work and faithful dedication has yet to be measured.

She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Harry, of West Point, sister Doris Paulsen of Bennington, several nieces and nephews including Janet Suhrls, whom Elaine helped raise. She is preceded in death by her parents and a sister Helen Neiman.