Miriam L. Eldridge was born Miriam Elizabeth Leino on February 22, 1932 in New York City and passed away on October 14, 2019 in San Jose, CA. When she was 18 months old, she moved with her parents to West Kingston, Rhode Island, where she grew up. Miriam earned a B.A. in English from the University of Rhode Island in 1954, an M.A. in English and Comparative Literature from New York University in 1959, and her doctorate in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Pittsburgh in 1967. Her doctoral studies were supported by a full scholarship plus stipend awarded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation.

She married Dr. Jerome Eldridge in 1959. They lived in Westchester County, NY, until 1974, when they moved with their three children to California. The marriage ended in divorce in 1984.

Miriam always loved the theatre. Living in New York City 1956–1960, she attended Broadway and off-Broadway plays faithfully. In California in 1975–1979, Miriam was active in "CAT Lovers," the auxiliary for the California Actors Theatre, a repertory company that performed in the auditorium of the former elementary school in Old Town Los Gatos. She wrote the organization's newsletter, hosted cast parties, and with her husband Jerry helped sell wine and champagne at intermission, and in general involved herself in theatre activities.

Miriam worked as a software technical writer for various companies, including Olivetti Advanced Technology Center in Cupertino, where she worked for 10 years. Miriam considered the job at Olivetti to be the highlight of her technical writing career, because it enabled her to travel to Italy every year.

After leaving Olivetti, Miriam opened her own translation business, International Wordsmiths. She translated into English from Finnish, Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese, specializing in technical, legal and commercial documentation.

Proud of her Finnish ancestry, Miriam was active in the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Finlandia Foundation and was editor of the chapter newsletter for many years. She was also a faithful participant in the annual FinnFests, which are held in various locations throughout the country so that people in every region can rejoice in Finnish culture, history, cuisine, and arts and crafts. Miriam was a presenter at two FinnFests.

Miriam was preceded in death by her parents, Inna and William Leino, and her younger sister, Mae Kaven. She is survived by her life partner Richard Serina and her children, Lisa, Matthew (Matt), and Laurence (Larry) Eldridge, and her granddaughter, Samantha Hanko, as well as her nephew Mark Pilkanis of Rhode Island and beloved "almost-sister," her cousin Helvi.

No service is planned. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution to an environmental or animal-welfare charity in Miriam's name.

Arrangements by Byrgan Cremation & Burial, Los Gatos, CA