Elrose Hope Banik

1925-2022

Elrose Hope Banik passed away peacefully on January 22nd at the age of 96. She was a devoted wife, mother, sister, daughter, Lutheran and a registered nurse. Born in Glendale, California on August 8th 1925, she returned to Oslo, Minnesota as an infant with her parents, Elsie and Halbert Loftus. Elrose grew up in a community where she was surrounded by family and spent her early years living on a farm without electricity where she would walk 2.5 miles to school, even in the cold Minnesota winters.

After graduating from Oslo High School in 1943, she attended Concordia College in Moorhead MN. She became a US Cadet nursing student at St Michaels Hospital in Grand Forks, ND and there she met the love of her life Jack Banik a Chemical Engineering student at the University of North Dakota. After completing her training, she worked in Grand Forks and Saint Paul, MN, where she became Head Nurse at Miller Hospital. When Jack returned from the Korean War, they were married on December 30, 1953.

As newlyweds they moved to Denver, CO where her son Gary was born and where she learned to ski and to love the mountains. In 1960 Elrose and Jack moved to Salt Lake City, UT. Hope embraced being an outsider and was President of the Newcomers Club. She was also active in Zion Lutheran Church where she was the first woman to be elected to the church council. Martha, her daughter was born in Salt Lake.

The young family moved to Minneapolis in 1968 where they lived on Lake Minnetonka. A few years later they were living in Wausau, WI and Elrose returned to nursing, working in the recovery room of a local hospital. Throughout the years she supported her family's love of skiing and became a ski race official spending many days in freezing conditions gate keeping and timing while her children raced.

In 1976 the family settled in NW Houston and "Hope" became involved with Kinsman Lutheran Church in Champions, where she helped facilitate the creation of the Northwest Assistance Ministries. "Hope" maintained many close relationships and lifelong friendships, a group of friends that called themselves

the Niftys met for coffee weekly for many years and she continued to be active with the Niftys until she was 95!

Hope also loved to travel with Jack for his work. As young newlyweds they traveled to Hawaii and would drive around the western United States. Over the years they would also travel to Alaska, Australia, England, and many places in the U S. In 1998 she and Martha were able to travel to Norway to meet and visit distant relatives.

Their annual trips to Vail Colorado would continue for many years as the family grew to include grandchildren. Hope's favorite run was Lost Boy and she continued skiing until she was 75.

Hope lived in Lakewood Forest, TX until 2013, her later years were spent at The Village at Gleannloch Farms Senior Living in Spring TX. She was preceded in death by her younger brother Harles and loving husband Jack. She is survived by her son and his wife; Gary and Alison Banik, Boulder, CO; Her daughter and husband, Martha and Tom Lawson, Houston, TX; and her grandchildren Gavin Banik, Avery Banik, Claire Carlson and Karl Lawson.

Elrose "Hope" Banik was a truly caring person who valued family, friends and was devoted to her church. She will be missed.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the charity of your choice or to Kinsmen Lutheran Church, 12100 Champion Forest Dr, Houston TX 77066 in honor of Elrose Hope Banik.