Elaine Saunders Hughes Jape

Elaine Saunders Hughes Jape died peacefully on July 6, 2024. She was born November 28, 1937, in Atlanta, Georgia to Annie Laurie Smith Saunders and Keeton G. Saunders.

An Atlanta girl through and through, Elaine grew up in Virginia Highlands and later Sherwood Forest. As a girl, she loved taking the trolley to Rich’s downtown to shop and later have lunch at the Magnolia Room at Rich’s Lenox Square, back when southern ladies got dressed up to shop. She fell in love with ballet and dance and studied in Ansley Park with “Miss Dorothy” Alexander, founder of the Atlanta Ballet. At Grady High School she met the love of her life, Julius C. Hughes, Jr., who lived on the other side of Ansley Golf Club. Julius regularly timed how fast he could run across the golf course to her house on Friar Tuck Road. It was during their courtship that he introduced Elaine to his beloved Lake Rabun, where his family had a house on the Big Basin. At first Elaine’s parents weren’t so sure about the match, as Julius was a mechanic and hot-rodder, but Julius charmed the Saunders and married Elaine in 1959.

Elaine trained as an x-ray technician at Emory, where she worked until she and Julius started their family. She chose to stay home with her children for most of their childhoods. Shortly before his graduation from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1960, Julius opened his own business, the Atlanta Speed Shop. He was busy drag racing in the late 1950’s and 60’s. Elaine enjoyed every bit of the excitement of the races and excelled at packing up and hauling their three children all over the country with the racing team. She also served as PTA president, Girl Scout leader, and assistant dance teacher with Kathryn Davenport in Brookhaven.

In 1973, Elaine returned to work and started a new career with ABC School Supply, rising from the role of data-entry clerk to Manager of Information Technology and ultimately to Director of Procurement. She worked there for several decades and enjoyed it immensely, excelling in what was then a male-dominated field. In the 1980s she and Julius Jr. worked three-day weeks, driving from their home on Lake Rabun into Atlanta for work Tuesday through Thursday, then returning Thursday evening to enjoy a long weekend at the lake. Famously, her nickname was Jet Boat Mama, as she felt the need for speed too, and she had her own jet boat. Her husband Julius died in 1992, shortly before their first grandchild was born.

Elaine had a huge capacity to love, and nothing made her happier than being with her extended family. She regularly did “chick checks” by call or text to be sure everyone was ok. She thoroughly enjoyed having her three children and grandchildren in the greater Atlanta area.

In 1994, Elaine met the second love of her life, Tony Jape, also a Georgia Tech engineer. They were married on Valentines Day, 2002. Many adventures ensued, including driving all over the country to pick up antiques and vintage pieces they found together online.

Elaine was particularly gifted as a crafter and ceramist. She hand-painted exquisite figurines, wreaths, and Christmas trees that can be found in some of the finest homes in Atlanta. The family will cherish her gifts from Christmas of 2023 when she gifted her family members with lovely Father Christmas figurines customized to each person.

She had a wonderful last weekend at Lake Rabun with her family in mid-June, where she sat on the front porch and watched the lake, and her beloved hummingbirds. Just a few weeks ago she enjoyed the Jake Hughes Band in concert with her nephew and great nephew performing.

Her husband Tony lovingly took care of Elaine as she struggled with health issues in the last few years of her life. She was diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer one week before her death. The Hughes family wishes to thank the excellent doctors and staff at Northside Forsyth Hospital and AccentCare Hospice who cared for her in her last weeks.

While Elaine was predeceased by her parents and her brother Ronald Saunders, she is survived by her husband Tony Jape; her three children Lorie, Linda, and Julius Hughes III and their spouses; her grandchildren William W. Thoms III, David Julius Thoms, and Caroline Thoms Parker and their spouses; her sisters-in-law Lindsay Hughes and Carol Perry; and many other relatives and friends she cherished. To know Elaine was to love her and her infectious enthusiasm for life.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Elaine’s honor can be made to The American Diabetes Society (diabetes.org) or the Lake Rabun Association Scholarship Fund (mail to: Lake Rabun Foundation, P.O. Box 114, Lakemont, GA 30052-0002).

A service of celebration and thanksgiving for Elaine’s life will be held at 11a.m. on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, 1328 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia.