Dear Michael - I hope this poem brings you comfort in knowing Elaine may be away for a time, but she is not gone:

Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened.
Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!
(Henry Scott-Holland)

Michael, I am so saddened to learn of the loss of your lovely Elaine. May she rest in peace, and may peace also be with you. 

I hope happy memories help you through this difficult time... Sending love, thoughts, and prayers to you and your family.

My husband and I have known Michael for seven years starting with the art Hampton shows. As the years went by, Michael became like a son to us sharing our lives in our home in the summers during the shows. We never had the privilege to meet Elaine but I felt Michael‘s deep love for her and concern each time he would visit us. He was in constant touch with her to make sure she was OK in Florida by herself. Brad and I got to love Michael very much and know how much he is devastated by the loss of his sweet Elaine. All we can do is stand by him, love him and make sure that he always knows this dear sweet man is welcome in our arms at any time Brad and Cindy Loewen

Michael, I join you in your pain and sadness for the loss of your dear soulmate Elaine. Unfortunately I never met her in person but I will always remember her as a lovely woman who always helped me by responding immediately to my emails and solving all my questions and doubts. God bless.

Michael, this is Carmen Luna Labbe and you and Elaine represented me ( an emerging artist at the time) and I must say that I send you prayers for your loss. Elaine was such a beautiful soul and shall be missed. God bless and may Elaine rest in heavenly peace!

She is with God now and her Soul and Beauty are brightening Heaven.

Michael
May God continue to bless you and your family. Please let me thank you very much for the opportunity to share a tribute to your beautiful and wonderful wife Elaine. She was professional and a sweet hearted person. Absence from this earthly body, is the only way to be present with the Lord in our spiritual body. Just remember Michael, that the Lord makes no mistakes and He is always a good God. I thank the Lord for sharing Elaine with us doing her wonderful life. Remember this Michael please, Elaine can't come back to us, but the good news is, that the Lord will one day allow us to go and be with her in heaven. That's good news my friend. 

Sending my condolences to the Michael and family. May Elaine's memory always be a blessing.

Michael, you and Elaine were the ultimate couple. I am so sorry for your loss. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

Alan Mahood

Michael, my deepest and sincerest condolences. My prays are with you. Elaine was such a delight.

So many found memories of my sister. I will never forget our private conversations and heart wrenching laughter. No words were necessary to communicate what the other was feeling or thinking. We just knew.. She was loved and adored by so many people. Lainie, I love and miss you from now until eternity. Until we meet again...

Life never ends Michael; it changes and goes on in many ways - through memories. Elaine lives through you now and her family and friends, and through those who knew her in any way. Elaines' soul and life are with you and her loved ones and in that way her life will never end - it has only changed.

I am sorry to hear of the loss of your beautiful wife. You will find the way to continue, though it is not known to you now. Death is the mystery, the magic, the unexplained, the unexplainable. Life beckons. Sending you all of my best wishes for your comfort during this difficult time. Thank you for letting me know. Love wins all. annell livingston

My Dearest Brother Michael, although I never had the pleasure of meeting Elaine, her beauty as a person shines through your eyes, and words you use in the stories you’ve shared with me.

Praise God for His mercy and grace that now Elaine has had all of her tears wiped from her eyes and has been given her heavenly body and crown of jewels by our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

Your strength comes from the Lord and He will honor your dedication and faith as you now carry on the legacy for both you and Elaine.

May God richly bless you,
Ryan

I had the pleasure to meet both Elaine and Michael when I moved from NY to Florida in 2003. I'm an artist and always wanted to be represented in and by a professional gallery. I met Michael first during a Gallery crawl where you go from gallery to gallery in one evening. As fate would have it, my daughter and I I walked into the second gallery which happended to be Michael's and we didn't continue on with the crawl. I showed him some pictures of my work which he liked and we talked about my art. He said if you bring me at least twelve paintings I will give you a show, but you have to meet Shorty first (Elaine) and if she likes you and your work, you're in!
So we all met a week later in Las Vegas at a huge Art Expo show in the convention center. Needless to say, I was a little nervous after I had flown all the way to Vegas from Florida to possibly get a thumbs down.
Well that's when I first saw the other half of the greatest Art Gallery Duo I would come to know and Love!
Shorty was Beautiful inside and out, tough, kind, fair and honest, and I was blessed with her approval for my first show in which they sold two of my original paintings.
Elaine, Michael, and I would become life long friends as well as family!
When I received the call from Michael that Shorty had passed, it broke my heart. Being a Christian gave me comfort to know she was in a better place with no pain.
I will never forget our first meeting in Vegas or her beautiful smile and soul that lit up every room she entered.
She will be missed but never forgotten!
Her and Michael are and always will be in my prayers.
May she Rest in Peace & may Michael and her family find peace.

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down
(that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a
house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and
not by human hands.
2 Corinthians 5:1

Cherish the memories and know there’s peace. I was very sad to learn because I knew the strength both were together- a true artistic powerhouse! Now Michael will have to work double as Elaine watches from heaven! My condolences to all!

Elaine was a beautiful person inside and out, every time we would get together she always had the biggest brightest smile, I loved her laugh and we had many laughs together, you will always be in my heart, may you Rest In Peace “Mama Stokes”

We were so very sorry to hear of Elaine’s passing. Sending you and your family are deepest and most heartfelt condolences. Please know that we are keeping you close in our thoughts and prayers.      
Jamie and Jeff Kost                                            

Michael, my heartfelt condolences to you for the loss of your dear soulmate. Although she has left this physical stage of her soul’s journey, she is with you, among all of us, and continuing her journey in a new light. I pray that you will find comfort in the memories you shared together, and that you may feel her presence often. Please know that you are loved and thought of often by so many. Peace, love, and faith, your friend always, Trixie.

Unfortunately I never met Elaine in person, nevertheless my intuition tells me that she loved beauty.
Beauty can be seen everywhere and is within creation itself. I, as so many, as you, have also lost many beloved ones. Beyond the grieve, loss and hurt, I have learned to honor their journey, through their laughter, love, memories and guidance and call myself lucky, to have met that spouse, friend, mom - that soul.
There are no words that can comfort a mom that has lost a child, the cruelest of pains. As a partner or spouse you have to learn to recover your own self, that got lost in that magical bond.
I send all of you a big hug, from heart to heart, praying for your souls to find peace.
Elaine, careless and happy, continue your journey towards the LIGHT and transmute to the afterlife with love.


“The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to.” —Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Psychiatrist

Oh, where do I begin my old friend? When I got the news that you were gone I just broke in two! Not my Laine! We have know each other for so long. Losing touch and reconnecting. You were always on my mind and in my heart. The time we spent together will be with me always. Our love of music and all things "girly" I'll never forget. I often tell my kids about our adventures. They think we were nuts, and maybe we were, but damn did we have fun! I know your pain was great and you were weary. I wish I could have been there to help you somehow. I will never forget your beautiful smile and kind soul. I will love and miss you until we meet again, and when we do, the heaven's are going to rock with music and laughter. I love you Laine!

Elaine was a truly wonderful person. She and Michael did so much for so many artists over the years. She will always be missed but she will also always be remembered!

Sending peace and strength during this most difficult of times and may her soul fly with freedom and light

A woman who lit up the room when I first met her. May she rest in peace.

A beautiful person, she will be surely missed by many of us. All my condolences. God bless.
Anna Paola Pizzocaro

God speed, Elaine. May your soul be at peace. ❤️

A tremendous beautiful life that connected with so many. You will be forever in the hearts of those you loved. Make sure to catch the daily kisses they send up to the sky for you.

We were so sad to learn about Elaine’s passing. She will be missed by so many and remembered by those whose careers she launched. Her drive, professionalism, and love of the art world made her someone we were all glad to know. Rest in peace Elaine.