Elfie Babette Loveless

Elfriede “Elfie” Babette Loveless, age 97, peacefully made her transition at Brookshire Healthcare Center in Huntsville, on June 5, 2020.  She was born on March 4, 1923, the only child of Georg and Lisette Fratz in Ansbach, Germany.  In 1940, she graduated from business college and worked as a factory office manager at Oechsler AG, a company now one of the leading international suppliers of plastics technology.  Numerous photos showed her enjoying her youth on picnics, at the local pool and on bicycling outings with friends to neighboring villages.  Then World War II impacted her teenage years with the rationing and bombing of her hometown.

Shortly after the war, she met Cecil Rudolph Loveless, who was with the American Air Force. They married in 1947 in Chattanooga, TN, and lived in a quaint log cabin on Lookout Mountain.  Together they had two daughters, Karen Cecilia Cherry, who died in 2003, and Patti Babette Dolezal.  In 1955 Elfie became an American citizen.   She was a devoted mother and wife, raising a family surrounded by a menagerie of pets….turtles, parakeets, dogs and horses. She loved the mountains, nature, all animals and it particular, birds.  Together, she and Cecil built their current residence on Martha Drive, which she lovingly maintained for over 60 years.  After 24 years of marriage, she & Cecil divorced but they maintained an amiable relationship until his death in 1980.   

She took some business refresher courses with Manpower Development Training in 1973 and soon found a job with Huntsville Diesel as a secretary.  When the business closed, she opened her own clothing consignment store, Classic Clothes.  As the years passed, the strain of responsibility running her own shop made her decide to ease some of that burden.  She sold her business, and then joined the staff of Ceramic Harmony as a part-time office assistant, a position she held well into her 80’s.

Elfie will always be remembered for her strong work ethic, her adamant mindset, her determination never to give up and her fierce protection for the home that held so many memories.  It was difficult for her to gradually give up more and more of her independent lifestyle as dementia began to grip her everyday activities.

She is survived by her daughter, Patti and son-in-law, Alfred Dolezal, of Redmond Oregon, and five grandchildren: Julie Serio Cannon, Kathy Serio Vaughn, Emily Serio Benton, Carin Dolezal Miskelly and Jeffrey Dolezal.  The family wishes to express sincere gratitude for the neighbors who offered their support in the final years of her life, especially Mrs. Danielle Thew.  We would also like to thank Sadie Morris for her patient attentive care to Elfie’s wellbeing.  Family members will gather privately to share memories and celebrate the unique personality of Elfie Loveless… forever in our hearts.