L. Elaine Gallop

Lunetta Elaine Gallop, known affectionately as Elaine, was born on August 29, 1937, in Flint, Michigan, to Lunetta and Ernest Holman. Her family moved to Royal Oak in 1952, where she graduated from Royal Oak High School in 1955. It was at the Royal Oak Citadel of the Salvation Army that she met Douglas Gallop; they married in 1957 and shared a loving partnership of sixty years grounded in faith.

Elaine served for many years as the bookkeeper for the Royal Oak Citadel while expressing her deep faith through music. She served as church pianist, sang with the Songsters, led the children’s Singing Company, and performed with the contemporary group The Royal Heirs. A vibrant and energetic mother, she raised three sons—Mark, Tom, and Gary—with patience, grace, and humor, supporting their many church activities, summer camps, sports, and the inevitable trips to the emergency room. She also enjoyed bowling and golf, participating in leagues for many years.

She and Douglas cherished family summers spent camping and traveling across the country with friends and her brother Donald, his wife Marilyn, and their five children. This love of adventure continued into retirement when, in 2006, Elaine and Douglas moved to Clearwater, Florida, seeking warmer winters.

Elaine was preceded in death by her husband, Douglas, in 2017; her son, Mark, in 2024; and her great-grandson, James, in 2018. She is survived by her children, Kimberlee (widow of Mark), Gary and Christina, and Thomas and Renee; her grandchildren, Devin (Christine), Chalyn, Sarah, Jordan, and Samantha; and her great-grandchildren, Grant and Elizabeth.