Elva S. Charles, 88, of Washington Boro, PA, was welcomed into heaven on Tuesday evening, August 2, 2016, passing gently and peacefully within the comfort of her home. Born November 1, 1927, in Lancaster, she was the daughter of the late Martin S. and Mary Stoner Good of Mt. Joy. She was preceded in death by her husband, H. Melvin Charles, who died in 1987, and her brother, Wilbur Good, who died in 2015.

Surviving are her children: R. Allen Charles (Ellyce Jean), Vanderwagen, NM; D. Richard Charles (Sandy), East Waterford, PA; Margaret Grove (Jay), Shippensburg, PA; Emmanuel Charles (Casilda), Ewing, NJ; Gloria Shue (Steven), Lancaster, PA; and Frederick Charles (Holly), Longmont, CO. She is survived by 17 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Also surviving are her sister-in-law, Evelyn Good, and nephew Nelson Good (Leona), Lancaster, PA.

Elva's life centered on her Christian faith, her loving family, and her passion for music. A 1945 graduate from Eastern Mennonite High School, Harrisonburg, VA, she held various leadership positions in the Brethren in Christ Church alongside her husband, served as church organist for many years, and gave private piano lessons while raising her six children on the family farm.

Along with her husband Melvin, Elva was dedicated to the spiritual and social enrichment of their family and their community. While on the farm, Elva sold her garden produce over lively conversation, after having preserved an abundance for her family's needs. Curious, creative, and resourceful, she pursued numerous informal educational opportunities, including teaching herself nutrition, how to refurbish furniture, and obtaining a certification in foot reflexology. The family home was often a local refuge for those in need, with a bedroom and meals provided for passing missionary families and community members for weeks to months at a time. Copying and distributing missionary letters in her earlier years and sewing quilts for mission organizations in her later years, Elva knit a broad international network of friends who supported one another in Christ through practice and in prayer.

The family is deeply indebted to the patience and love provided by Elva's caregivers who lived with her at her home for nearly six years: Isatu Bah, Jody Kurtz, Andrea Grove, Erin Ford Stoltzfus, Leona Good, Janelle Schlegel, Laurel Beyer, Joyce Owusu, Jeanne Weaver, Jamie Witherspoon, and Dawn Areford. In her final months, she remained grateful to her caregivers and a joy to her family.

In honor of Elva's life, a memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 13 at Faith Bible Fellowship Church, 151 Donerville Road, Lancaster, with family visitation at 10 AM and service at 11 AM. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to Faith Bible Fellowship Church. The full obituary can be read at www.snyderfuneralhome.com.