Elen Cutrim

Elen Maria Cmara Cutrim lived several lives in her short time on Earth. Born in a country that remained close to her heart, she was equally dedicated to her family and to her life’s work. A gracious woman whose character was channeled through her determined and gregarious nature, she gave her all in every endeavor. Her laughter and bright smile could fill a room, and her ability to bring people together was second-nature to her. Elen will be missed and fondly remembered for the many ways she touched the lives of others.

Elen’s story began along the Atlantic Ocean, within the bustling, “Marvelous City” of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where for decades, the Cristo Redentor—Christ the Redeemer—stands atop the Corcovado Mountain prayerfully watching over its people. The eldest of seven children, Elen was born on October 27, 1946 to Maria Conceição Cmara, a teacher and talented artist, and José Edmundo Carneiro Cutrim, an officer and psychiatrist in the Brazilian Air Force.

When Elen was two years old, the family moved to the northern Brazilian city of Belém where Elen’s father worked at the Air Force hospital there. It was here that Elen grew up, developing a love for the Amazon region that would remain with her throughout her life. An area rich in history, the city of Belém, with its tropical charm and historic structures on the banks of the Amazon River, offered much for their family. Their home in Belém was situated behind a convent. Elen was one to be quite mischievous at times and found her share of antics to become involved in here, climbing the wall to take fruits from the convent’s trees or to peek at the nuns. Her father’s work in the Brazilian Air Force meant he flew into the Amazon much of the time, and with much responsibility, Elen served as a mother figure to her younger siblings.

Her father instilled in his children a strong sense of family values, education and music. The young family took frequent trips to their beach property in Itapary, to unite with cousins for the holidays, developing lifelong ties that often made the children more like siblings than cousins. These trips were always full of good food, jokes, laughter, talent shows, and spending quality time with one another. Elen came to embrace a love for travel and possessed a passion for the world around her. She was also an astute student in school and was often awarded the honors of being the top student in her class, chosen by her school to participate in parades and radio spelling bees. With an inclination towards music, she also studied piano for twelve years at the conservatory. Later in life, she lovingly serenaded her children awake each morning with her piano playing during their visits.

With her many abilities and inquisitive nature in all that surrounded her, Elen went on to further her education. After she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, she traveled to the U.S. where she attended the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. While there, she earned her Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering, with focus on hydrology. After returning home to Belém, she was chosen to receive a scholarship to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel where she put her efforts into an intensive six month post-graduate course in Ground Water Survey. Back in Belém, she worked as a professor and researcher for the Federal University of Pará where she became involved in a project on Marajó Island at the mouth of the Amazon.

In 1976, Elen found another exciting venture that life offered. She was introduced to a gentleman who was working as a visiting professor in Brazil in the field of Geophysics, Bill Sauck. With many shared interests, a romance developed, and on October 20, 1978, Elen and Bill began their lifelong pledge in marriage to one another. Elen was truly blessed to have met Bill, for he was her rock and together they built a foundation for their family. She admired him for being such a good father to four-year-old Jeffrey and helped him to raise his son while he was a single father in Brazil. Shortly after getting married, a second child was added to the family with the birth of Christine in Belém.

As Elen continued her thirst for education, she went on to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where in 1983 she received her PhD in Atmospheric Sciences. During her studies, which included a two-hour commute from Portage to Ann Arbor, she took two weeks off to give birth to their third child, Carolyn. Once again, Elen’s dedication for her work and the passion she held for the Amazon region found her returning to her hometown, Belém. During this time, she co-founded the Meteorology Department at the Federal University of Pará and still had time to give birth to the couple’s fourth child, Eric. After three years back in Belém, she received a Fulbright Fellowship for post-doctoral work, taking a position at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Bill was fortunate to receive a Brazilian government fellowship to accompany her.

Shortly after moving to Madison in 1987, Elen was diagnosed with leukemia and underwent eight months of intensive chemotherapy to suppress the cancer. Though in remission, this type of cancer had a high probability of recurring, so the doctors recommended a bone marrow transplant. When one of her sisters, Rejane, was found to be a perfect match, it offered Elen a chance to live to see her family grow up. In 1989, she underwent a bone marrow transplant. The treatment and transplant proved to be a trying time for Elen, as she was seriously ill for more than a year before being cured of the leukemia.

Bill accepted a position at Western Michigan University in 1990, moving to a comfortable ten acre parcel in Texas Township near Kalamazoo, Michigan. Due to Elen’s compromised immune system, she could not return to live in Brazil, which violated the Fulbright Fellowship conditions and prompted a dispute between the Fulbright Commission of the U.S. Department of State and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. This finally led to a deportation notice, which was ultimately resolved through the help of the local US Representative and Elen was allowed to remain in the US. A couple of years later, she was also contracted as an assistant professor at the Geography Department at WMU.

It was here that her role of hostess extraordinaire continued and blossomed with some of her biggest parties. With her love for entertaining and bringing people together, Elen hosted many dinners and events that brought together the local Brazilian community, the university community, and the church community. Each Easter, she held a dinner where people from different nations and cultures were invited, gathering to celebrate the holiday that signifies rebirth and hope for the future. She became well known for her gracious ability to entertain and to make others feel welcome in her home. Elen had an uncanny ability to bring individuals from various backgrounds together for a common cause or purpose that enabled her, with her warm and caring ways, to build bridges of peace between them.

Elen had a way in the kitchen as well, and though her specialty was Brazilian food, she could replicate nearly any dish she tried. She put her heart into the food she made as yet another way to bestow her love and affection. Her love of entertaining, cooking, and music was often combined by hosting Gilmore Music Festival participants and concert dinner parties for WMU faculty musician groups. She had an undeniably great sense of humor, and was usually the life of a party. Elen was dedicated to her church where she became quite active, serving on committees, participating in charity dinners, soup suppers, and bringing her unbridled enthusiasm to all.

Even while living in the US, she made frequent trips back to Brazil to keep her children tied to their Brazilian roots. As her father had instilled strong family values in her, Elen and Bill passed these values on to their children. The families of her siblings and cousins often reunited on the same beach property in Itapary where they had spent time in their youth. Again, these reunions were filled with good food, jokes, games, and quality time spent with one another. Elen has spent many years protecting these heritage lands, and she and Bill began building a retirement home there in 2003. She and Bill also celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary that year by renewing their vows before a congregation of friends and family.

Throughout the years, Elen suffered from and fought many side effects and other cancers subsequent to the rigorous treatment for her leukemia, even undergoing three hip replacements. In 2001, she was diagnosed with an abdominal liposarcoma, treatable only by surgery. In the last six years, she had 3 major de-bulking surgeries to renew her lease on life. She was an incredible healer and was often teaching again 2 weeks after an extensive surgery. In 2008, her surgeons told her that the tumors were no longer operable. She didn’t give up, and she underwent three separate experimental chemotherapies. Sadly, before any results could be verified, she fell ill to complications and was admitted to the hospital February 2, 2009. It was a long and hard fought battle. Eight days later, she was taken to Rose Arbor Hospice, where she spent nine weeks in the gentle and loving care of the nurses and aides. Even though she was suffering greatly, she continued to give her trademark smile to all nurses, aides, and visitors. Elen died on Wednesday, April 15, 2009.

Friends will be received on Sunday from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Life Story Funeral Home-Betzler, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo, Michigan. A funeral service to honor Elen’s life will be held Monday, April 20, 2009, 5:00 p.m. at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 1747 West Milham Avenue, Portage, Michigan. A dinner will follow in the church hall.