Elena T. “Lainy” Goff

Elena Touceda Goff, of Wilmington, known to family and friends as Lainy, passed away on February 2, 2020 at the age of 90 at the Country House where she had been a resident for 12 years.

 Born Elena Consuelo Touceda in Albany, NY to Helen and Enrique Touceda, she was the eldest of two daughters. Elena graduated from St Agnes School in Loudonville, NY. She attended Skidmore College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from George Washington University. She attended Yale University in a Master of Arts program. From 1949 to 1953 Elena worked at the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. for five years, an experience that launched a life-long interest in textiles.

 Elena married Randall “Pete” Goff in 1954 and lived for 52 years in Weston, CT before moving to the Country House in Wilmington, DE. She volunteered extensively, teaching art and art history in local schools, and with New Canaan Mounted Troop, the Junior League, the Weston Garden Club, the Hajji Baba Rug Society, and most recently, the Country House. She enriched the lives of her friends and family with her interests.

 Elena loved gardening, art, reading, current affairs, attending classes at the Academy of Lifelong Learning, and socializing with her many friends. She and her husband loved to travel, especially enjoying multiple trips to Turkey.

 She was preceded in death by her husband, Randall “Pete” Goff, and her sister, Maria Bradford. She is survived by her daughter Pam Sapko and son-in-law Paul Sapko of Unionville, PA, her daughter Hilary Goff and partner Mark Mangus of West Grove, PA; four grandchildren, James Vanderhoef, Jesse Vanderhoef, Larissa Sapko and Hannah Sapko; and two great grandchildren, Jamie and Wesley Vanderhoef.

 The family expresses their heartfelt thanks to the nursing staff and employees at the Country House and Acts Signature Hospice for their loving care and support.

 Service and burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Benevolent Fund, Country House, 4830 Kennett Pike, Wilmington, DE 19807.