Best. Friend. Ever.

Tags: Business, General,

So here I am with my friend and business colleague, Elva Clements, at a client Symposium in Florida on Friday the 13th in February. We had just spent a few hours in the Hotel Spa and stopped for a cocktail and photo at the bar before going back to our rooms to change clothes (for a cocktail party).  And then, on April 18th, Elva died of pancreatic cancer. Just like that.

When you lose someone suddenly – especially someone you’ve loved, respected and worked with for 35 years – its human nature to want to make some sense of it.

Even if you can’t.

But since I don’t do ‘pathetic’ particularly well (and Elva had zero tolerance for whiners), it’s high time I exchange my funk for a recollection of the many wonderful reasons why I loved having “my office wife” at my side and in my life.

Elva lived the farthest away and was always the first person in the office. Coffee on. Dishwasher emptied. Plants watered. Computer fired up. All you had to do was say, “Good morning.”

We didn’t call her “The Machine” for nothing. Here was a world-class publicist who leveraged every gift she was given. She lived to (over)serve her clients and cranked out fabulous work that gave truth to her mother’s favorite expression: If you’ve got a job to do, give it to a busy person.

“Here’s the bad news…” Whatever it was, Elva always delivered the bad news first, immediately followed by one or two thoughtful solutions. All I had to say was, “Sounds good to me.”

‘No Drama Breaks’ welcome…Like all of us, Elva experienced illness, loss, disappointment, stress. In between those times, she was grateful for, and conscious of what she called, “No Drama Breaks.” She packed them with experiences and friends.

A car named Elva…Who knew there was a sports racing car called ‘Elva’ (elle va meaning she goes)?  She could take on all comers with her knowledge of the obscure and meaningless.

Pee-wee Herman?  Elva loved him. (No judging). She even went to New York to see his Broadway Show (with her Pee-wee-loving family, no less). She was attracted to people, things, talent, and events that others often dismissed out-of-hand.

The Real Housewives meet Pope Francis. It’s an understatement to say that Elva’s interests were eclectic. Her tolerance for low-brow TV shows: epic. Her views about politics, world events and religion: informed and passionate.

Let’s get together! Elva made friends everywhere she went. She remained close to her grade school buddies, high-school and college chums. She partied with the girls in the ‘hood, converted business colleagues to cherished friends, and sent ‘thank you’ notes for everything.

So what if there’s 20-inches of snow outside. We’re talking about an old-fashioned girl here, influenced by a father who exemplified “The Greatest Generation.” You took it for granted that Elva would show up and deliver. Excuses? Finger pointing? Snow days? Never.

Not into stuff. To my great dismay, it was hard to get Elva excited about bling and adornments. I was always suggesting ways to fashionably tie her scarf or load up her arms with bangle bracelets. No sale. She preferred simple. Unfussy. One more proof that opposites attract…

A heart that just grew bigger. Family was everything to Elva and she was devoted to her parents, brothers, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and the loves of her life: husband Bob, daughters Maria and Carrie, and son Patrick. Not to mention all those friends from all those eras and places.

Having said all that, is it any wonder we miss her so much...?

Anita Alvare (bio)/Alvare Associates/610-520-6140