Myra Elizabeth Elder's Obituary
Myra Elizabeth Elder, age 79 of San Bernardino, California, passed away unexpectedly on December 21, 2019 in San Bernardino.
Myra was born on November 7, 1940 in Culver City, CA, but her family moved to San Bernardino a couple of years later. After that, she lived her entire life in San Bernardino. Myra had a passion for everything there is to know about San Bernardino; she was always very interested and knowledgeable about the history of the San Bernardino area, as it was always a place she truly loved. She had a true appreciation for the valley and, as a true outdoorsman would, loved having all of the beaches, deserts, and mountains nearby. Over the last 30 years, as many people relocated to other areas, she was never swayed to move away.
Another passion Myra always had was real estate. She was a licensed real estate expert in San Bernardino for 44 years, and she knew the market in this area as well as, or better, than anyone else. She had a true affection for the industry, and she worked tirelessly until her passing. She enjoyed using her wealth of knowledge in the business to help others, and she especially loved helping first time buyers acquire their first home purchase. It was very common for her to reduce her commissions slightly just to help young adults become homeowners.
In some of her other spare time, Myra volunteered for many charitable causes. Most recently, she became a staunch supporter of the San Bernardino County Libraries. She was passionate in helping the local libraries with their services to the community in order to ensure that they would continue being successful.
Myra is survived by her son John (Brigid) Matthews, grandson Clint (Sara) Matthews, granddaughter Laura Matthews and her fiancé Brian Arnold, great grandsons Cole and Cooper Matthews, sisters Joyce Albright and Elaine Simer, brothers David (Medi) Ford, and Dwight (Delia) Ford. Also surviving are her nephew Jeremy (Shelly) Simer, niece Kate (Keith) Kurczeski and their families. Additional survivors include her Aunt Wlma Grout and cousins Janet, Alan, Carolyn, Eileen and Penny. Sadly, Myra passed away before the birth of her next great grandchild. On Christmas Eve, her granddaughter Laura and her fiance Brian revealed that a new baby girl was on the way in May. Great Grandma Myra would have been so excited with this news. Preceding Myra in death was her husband Tim Elder, her son Jay Matthews, and son Jeff Elder.
Along with family, Myra leaves behind a vast amount of friends and business relationships she developed in her lifetime. Her current group of neighborhood friends, nicknamed by her son as the “Neighborhood Watch On Steroids” (NWOS), has been a tremendous amount of help since Myra’s passing. Our family will always appreciate their love, support, and compassion in this difficult time.
Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Friends of the Rowe Branch Library at 108 E. Marshall Blvd., San Bernardino, CA 92404 in her memory.
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