Retired Hollister teacher and business woman Elverna L. Paine passed away at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital on October 4th at the age of 86 years. Elverna was a native of San Jose, and had resided in San Benito County since the 1920’s. Upon earning her BA Degree in education with a minor in music from San Jose State, Elverna began her teaching career in 1942 at Southside School, Hollister, then taught briefly in Gilroy, before returning Hollister’s North County School District where she ended a teaching career that spanned 25 years. She taught English as a second language at Spring Grove School, as many migrant families had children enrolled there.. “She was a very dedicated teacher and was very proud of her students successes”, said her daughter Sue Anne James. Retiring from teaching she was able to take a full time interest in Paine’s Restaurant, the restaurant that she and her late husband LeRoy Paine and brother-in-law and sister-in-law Delmer and June Paine established in Hollister. Her activities and memberships included the California Retired Teachers Association; Y.L.I. ; I.C.F.; Bolado Park and Ridgemark Golf Clubs; her bus trips to the theater arts in San Francisco; her Pedro card parties; going to her home at Lake Tahoe with her friends; and most of all her music – playing the piano and accordion with small combo groups, and later with Bob Bouchard’s Big Band. “The 17 years that she played with the Bid Band were among some of the happiest of times. She certainly was a good trooper. “The hundreds of gigs that we played from Pebble Beach to Coconut Grove and on to San Francisco and all places in between were some of her fondest memories”, said Bob Bouchard. ” Elverna had a wonderful life and made lots of people happy with her music. Music makes the world go’round. No one understood that more than Elverna”, said Bob. Elverna is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Sue Anne and Bill James of Gilroy; her sisters Elsie Rossi and Barbara Winn of Hollister and many nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews. She was the daughter of the late Frank & Mary Bozzo; the spouse of the late LeRoy Paine; sister of the late Helen Bozzo and Sam Bozzo.
As per Elverna’s instructions, a visitation was held for the immediate family on Monday at Grunnagle Ament Nelson Funeral Home and followed by private entombment and committal services at Calvary Cemetery Mausoleum on Tuesday. Memorials are preferred to the SAN BENITO HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC PROGRAM in care of the mortuary chapel.
