Obituary of Elaine Magdalen Cardenas

On October 19, 2010, after a long illness, Elaine Magdalen Cardenas, age 59, found truth and peace in the arms of her Creator. The second of five children, she was born December 20, 1950, to Alice Bertha and Horace Cardenas, in San Antonio, Texas. Preceded in death by her father, she is survived by her mother, her siblings Kenneth Cardenas (spouse Rosemary, children Ben and Nina), Russell Cardenas, Frances Cardenas-Landswick, and Cynthia Cardenas-Buecker (spouse Bernard), and two cats. Elaine attended St. Paul's Catholic School and Incarnate Word High School in San Antonio, from which she graduated as class Salutatorian. She attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut on scholarship earning a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. She completed Master's work in Bilingual/Bicultural Studies at the University of Texas San Antonio while becoming involved with the local Arts community. She studied Arts Administration at Cincinnati Conservatory in Ohio before taking a position with the Department of Labor/Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in Washington D.C. She resided in Greenbelt, Maryland for 20 years, retiring October 2010 from the BLS with over 25 years of service. Elaine was a lover of history, culture, nature, and the Arts. She was a docent at the National Museum for Women in the Arts. She also enjoyed painting, drawing, and singing. While in Texas she was a member of the Texas Bach Choir. Elaine touched many lives and will be missed. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated in her honor at St. Paul's Catholic Church, 350 Sutton Drive, San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, November 13, 2010 at 10 a.m.. A recitation of the rosary will precede the service at 9:30 a.m.. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Cancer Society, the Cancer Fund of America, or your favorite charity.