Elaine Inman Pope passed away peacefully April 18, 2024, in Red Bank. She was 97 years old. Elaine was born on Palm Sunday, April 10, 1927, in Barnegat, the only child of George A. and Olive Cranmer Inman. A lifelong resident of New Jersey, she lived in Elberon, Ventnor (a suburb of Atlantic City), Red Bank, Fair Haven and Little Silver.
A 1945 graduate of Red Bank High School, Elaine graduated Berkeley Secretarial School in New York City, eventually working in the Employee Relations Department for Esso in New York, commuting by train from Fair Haven. She met her future husband, Henry A. Pope Jr., on this commute. They married in February 1952 and honeymooned in Bermuda – flying there and returning via ship on the Queen of Bermuda. This spawned a lifelong love of travel, especially by sea.
Elaine and Henry lived at Riverside Gardens (now Riverside Park) in Red Bank before moving to Middletown. A brief three-year transfer to Cincinnati, Ohio, followed, but in 1964, they returned East and built a family home on Windsor Drive in Little Silver where they raised their children and enjoyed much happiness. In later years they moved across town to a home on the Shrewsbury River, then spent 11 years at Alderbrook in Little Silver before moving into The Atrium at Navesink Harbor in 2012. Little Silver remained Elaine’s favorite place to live and she missed it very much up until the end.
Elaine took more than 50 cruises in her lifetime and was never so happy as when she was planning a trip. One of her earliest cruises was on The Berengaria in 1937. Bermuda was a favorite travel spot, as was cruising transatlantic to England on Cunard. She was fortunate to fly twice on the Concorde. During their 63 years together, Elaine and Henry traveled to England, Scotland, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii and Canada, and took many road trips within the United States. They spent over 15 years wintering on St. Simons Island, Georgia.
Elaine’s family and friends were most important throughout her life. She volunteered with the PTA among other school activities. A wonderful group of lady friends gathered monthly to play bridge. She and Henry loved to host social events – whether it was a New Year’s Eve party, Kentucky Derby gatherings or backyard pool parties. A member of the cocktail generation, Elaine loved a good vodka tonic and enjoyed one every evening for many decades.
She held a couple of part-time jobs when her children were older – one with The Monmouth Museum and another with the Redden Insurance Agency – but always had her volunteer work with Riverview Hospital, the Little Silver Public Library and the Women’s Exchange. She and Henry played golf in their retirement and Elaine achieved a hole-in-one on the 17th hole at Holland Orchards June 21, 1992.
Elaine was predeceased by Henry in March 2015. The family thanks her longtime Visiting Angel Petrona Mathurin, whose compassion and friendship were unmatched, along with Georgian, Jackie and Dolly, who were close companions to Elaine in her later years.
Elaine is survived by her two children, John Benton Pope (Kim Gardner Pope) of Brigantine and Perkasie, Pennsylvania, and Elizabeth (Betsy) Pope Aras (Edward A. Aras) of Barnegat Light; six grandchildren, Brianne Pope Fricke (Scott) of Winchester, Virginia; Trevor G. Pope Sr. (Andrea) of Mountville, Pennsylvania, LTC Timothy E. Aras (Jacqueline) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Kyle A. Pope (Ashley) of Pipersville, Pennsylvania, Kate Elizabeth Aras (LTC Chris Reber) of Arlington, Virginia, and Kevin J. Pope (Jeannette) of Perkasie, Pennsylvania; and her 13 great-grandchildren, Laela Autumn Fricke, Trevor Gardner Jr., Giuliana Marie and Brandon Joseph Pope, Madison Marie, Charlotte Grace and Brooke Elizabeth Aras, Finnegan Dale and Olive Jane Reber, Weston John and Tyler Matthew Pope, and Scarlet Elizabeth and Evelyn Rose Pope.
Visitation and a service were held April 27 at Thompson Memorial Home, Red Bank. Burial followed at Evergreen Cemetery, Little Silver.
The article originally appeared in the May 9 – 15, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
