Elaine Voss began her career in government by nudging her husband, Gordon, to seek election to the Legislature. She ran his campaigns and doorknocked at every home in their Blaine district.
With degrees in nursing and education, Voss taught for two decades until 1981, when she became Anoka County's election supervisor. Two years later, she stepped into a career-defining job as deputy to Minnesota Secretary of State Joan Growe. The two worked together for nearly two decades, building the state's reputation for high voter turnout and fair elections.
"She was the glue," Growe said. "She was so smart and so organized and always one step ahead of any problems."
Voss, 83, died Dec. 21 in Edina of complications of Alzheimer's disease.
Born Elaine Voldsness in 1936 in Eau Claire, Wis., she met her husband due to an alphabetical seating chart in a class at the University of Minnesota.
Her obituary described the couple as "a unified force, equally matched and devoted to each other throughout their public and personal lives." They traveled the world and visited all 50 states, but "no place was more precious to them than their cabin."
Gordy Voss was first elected to the Legislature in 1972, the same year as Growe. Voss' son, Gregory, of Apple Valley, said his mother and father wanted to knock on every door in the district twice, and tracked their progress with markers on color-coded maps they kept during the campaigns.
Voss, Growe and another colleague had a long-standing pact, Growe said: On any given day, only one of them was allowed to be in a bad mood and the other two had to carry the day.