Elaine Douglas Cahn

July 26,1922 - January 9, 2025

By any standard, Elaine Cahn had amazing legs. She often recounted a friend’s quip that “the

legs are the last thing to go.” Remarkably active for nearly the entirety of her 102 years, Elaine’s

legs carried her – in her classic elegant style – to over 50 countries on four continents, the more

exotic the destination, the better: Samarkand, the Amazon, Marrakesh, Kyoto, Jerusalem,

Kathmandu, St Petersburg… her well-worn passport was among her most valued possessions.

She lived childhood years in Delta, Utah followed by the family moving to New York in the

1930’s where she resided until marrying Meyer “Mike” Cahn and coming to San Francisco in

1956.

Elaine‘s travels began around 1948 when her pair of 20-something legs boarded the Queen

Mary to London and Paris, both cities that she loved and returned to again and again, making a

pilgrimage to see theater in London every March with friends for a decade around the 1990’s,

and introducing her oldest granddaughter to Paris when she was fourteen.

Elaine was fascinated by other cultures, which fueled her second Master’s degree in Cultural

Anthropology, after her first Master’s in English Literature. Her favorite place was the Library

where she found solace, exploration and discovery, and an institution she believed in deeply as a

foundation for both our shared humanity and unique experiences. She was especially fond of

mysteries and inspired by biographies, and an avid patron of the San Francisco Public Library

Richmond Branch as well as a member of the Council of Neighborhood Libraries committee.

Her legs walked her to the bus stop even in her 90’s to go downtown for her volunteer position of

thirty years at the International Visitors Center where she arranged local professionals to meet

with visiting representatives from other countries. Her face would light up describing her next

group of doctors from Kenya or artisans from Uzbekistan. She also brought the world into her

home, hosting international students through various exchange programs. These relationships

often blossomed into lasting friendships, with visits to their home countries and correspondence

that endured for years.

She loved the fusion of living culture she could witness in markets — in the countries she visited

or her local Farmers Market, where she was a connoisseur customer of her Strawberry Lady and

Mushroom Man. From 1976 to 1990, she shared her passion for food and words as the writer

and publisher of FoodTalk: The Newsletter for People Who Enjoy Food for the Mind as Well as the Table.

A lifelong love for words also played out in Scrabble, a game she was reigning family champion.

Well after the century-mark of her life she would still beat her adult grandchildren with swift,

shrewd moves and an insouciant shrug.

Elaine and the late Meyer (Mike) Cahn are survived by their three children, D. Benjamin (Keren),

Tara, and Rachel (Jeff Pincus), and three beloved grandchildren from D. Benjamin and Keren:

Dannah, Ben, and Avigail. She was an engaged grandmother baking cookies, teaching sewing,

and infusing their childhood with her rich cultural education — the ballet, museums, library,

opera, theater, and the orchestra. She held the role of family matriarch as she did all things, with

a distinct style, her signature red beret, and a wry sense of humor. She will be missed.

Elaine passed peacefully from this life in her home surrounded by loving family members.

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/elaine-cahn/obituary/

Copy