Elaine Cederlof Cleverly passed away peacefully and gracefully, surrounded by her children, on March 21st, 2026, at home in Boise, Idaho, from natural causes.

Elaine was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 10th, 1942, to Ephraim Rollin Cederlof and Bertha Elizabeth Carlson. She was born into a loving home, and she cherished her childhood with her loving parents, whom she adored, and with her siblings, John, Marilyn, and Janice. She enjoyed the Swedish traditions of her grandparents, fishing in East Canyon, and helping her father at the service/gas station he owned. As a young girl, she helped her dad take care of their singing canaries. She would often nurse the injured and disabled birds—many of which became her pets. When she was 8 years old, she contracted rheumatic fever. She lay in bed for more than six weeks to heal and protect her heart. Her mother worked hard to make sure she kept up on her schoolwork and provided fun things for her to do during this time.

Elaine enjoyed her youth, especially high school, where she was one of the first classes to graduate from Highland High School in Salt Lake City. As a class, they had the opportunity to vote on the name of the high school and the school colors and wrote the school song. Elaine participated in the dance team and choir and played 3rd base on the softball team. She was very social and enjoyed lots of fun activities with her big group of friends. One of the activities they particularly enjoyed as a group was root beer "chug-a-lug" at the local Hires restaurant. The contest was to determine who could drink the large mug of root beer the fastest without stopping. Elaine was the champion—no one could beat her. Through this group of friends, she met Glen Eugene Cleverly. Elaine always wanted to be a beautician or a nurse. Although she never received formal training, she served in both those capacities during different times in her life. She started styling Glen's mother's hair each week. Elaine eventually suggested to Glen's mom that Glen should ask her out. After some prodding and patience, Glen finally asked Elaine out, and soon they were going out every weekend. They were married in the Salt Lake City temple on March 19th, 1962.

As a young married couple, Elaine worked for JCPenney in the Western Accounting Division from 1960 to 1963. She was a master of the ten-key accounting machines. She rode the bus to and from work each day. She worked there until just before the birth of their first child, Michelle. After her birth, she became a stay-at-home mom. A little over a year later, their son, Todd, was born. Todd had Down Syndrome—this started a new calling in her life—one in which she cared, advocated, and sacrificed for Todd for much of her life.

In 1965, the family moved to Bountiful, Utah. While there, Kyle was born, followed by Chad two years later. The family moved to Boise, Idaho, in 1972. It was hard to leave family and friends in Utah, but Boise soon became a treasured place with many great experiences and friendships. While in Boise, they were blessed with their daughter, Kirsti.

Elaine was a faithful and devoted wife and mother. Due to Glen's work travel schedule, Elaine became more than just the mother. She was blessed with an engineer's mind. With very little formal training and education, she could fix most anything. She was an excellent seamstress and made many children's clothes, including infant blessing clothes, baptism dresses, and many quilts. Halloween costumes were a specialty that she enjoyed creating for her children and grandchildren. She was a master at helping her children with school projects and school spirit days. Her love of sports continued as she supported her children in their activities with complete devotion, evidenced by her faithful attendance and cheering. She also was a gifted chef. Elaine loved all holidays, but Christmas was her favorite. She enjoyed decorating her home and especially loved the Christmas music and gift-giving. Elaine had the ability to unite families with her genuine love, kindness, patience, and meekness.

You cannot think of Elaine without acknowledging her complete devotion to her calling as Todd's mother. With support from Glen and other family members, she cared for Todd in their home for his entire life. It was important to her that Todd knew, despite his challenges, how to act appropriately, and she sacrificed whatever was necessary to allow Todd to succeed in school and work. In the later part of Todd's life, it was equally important to her that he had the physical care that he needed to be comfortable and happy. Elaine was blessed to love, nurture, and care for Todd into her 80s. She inspired many parents with her positive and hopeful approach to raising a child with a disability.

Elaine was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She had a deep love for her Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. Elaine believed that the only way to have true happiness in life was following the example of Jesus Christ and fully living His gospel. She lived the statement "Preach the Gospel always, and when necessary, use words." She found great joy serving in the Church. She served as president of the Primary, Young Women's, and Relief Society organizations of the Church. She particularly enjoyed serving as the music leader for the children, which she did several times, including while in her 70s. She honored her pioneer heritage by participating in Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers and was inspired by her ancestors' faith and resilience.

Elaine was an excellent listener for both friends and family. She always sought out those that seemed to be treated unfairly by life or by others.

Elaine was preceded in death by her husband, Glen Eugene Cleverly; her son, Todd Eugene Cleverly; her parents; and her three siblings. She is survived by her daughter Michelle (Dennis), sons Kyle (Wendi) and Chad (Brooke), and daughter Kirsti (John). She has 16 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

A viewing is scheduled for April 2nd, 2026, from 6 to 8pm at the meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 8620 West Goddard Road in Boise, Idaho.

The funeral services will be held on April 3rd, 2026, at 10am at the meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 8620 W Goddard Road in Boise, Idaho. The family will greet friends from 9 to 9:45 am just prior to the services.