WAUWATOSA, Wis. — It was a love that started in freshman Latin class at Lutheran High School in 1953.
Former Wisconsin Gov. Marty Schreiber said he knew in that moment Elaine Thaney was the one.
“My last name Schreiber. Her last name Thaney put us right next to each other,” said Schreiber. “I guess I was awestruck.”
They married and had four children. He said Elaine was his biggest supporter during his political career.
“If I ever lost an election, she would never let me feel defeated,” said Schreiber.
He said Elaine was everything he could want in a life partner, even when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in her early 60s.
“Because I was ignorant of the disease, I kept Elaine in my world,” said Schreiber.
But Schreiber said it made their lives more difficult. He said he often had to remind her of important details.
“Elaine, it didn’t happen on a Thursday, it happened on a Friday,” said Schreiber. “Elaine, it wasn’t the Smiths, it was the Jones. Why did you put the keys in the dishwasher? Elaine, I told you five times we’re leaving at 10:30, and why must you keep asking the same story time and again?”
As time went on, he realized he had to step into Elaine’s world and prioritize his own health.
“You think you finally master something then because the disease progresses. Your loved one is different from the day before,” said Schreiber.
He made the difficult decision to put his wife into a memory assisted living home, which is now named after her. It is called Elaine’s Hope at the Lutheran Home in Wauwatosa.
“My fight to keep Elaine at home with me — that was my personal battle with Alzheimer’s,” said Schreiber.
Elaine passed in 2022 after a long battle with the disease. Schreiber took his pain and turned it into a passion to help other struggling caregivers.
“I’ve got to do something,” said Schreiber. “I’ve got to help people understand this disease so we can live our best life possible.”
He even wrote a book called “My Two Elaines,” which includes entries from Elaine’s journal that she wrote during the early stages of the disease.
“I wish my Alzheimer’s would dissipate,” said Elaine Thaney in the book. “I’d like to be the smart wife and mother I used to be. I need to rely on Marty for everything and I’m very lucky he continues to keep me. Life gets more difficult every day.”
Schreiber said he’ll continue to tell their story to help others as they face this disease, hoping what he shares will make a difference.