M'Jeanne Erwin

M’Jeanne Erwin of Los Gatos, California passed away on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at the age of 94. She was born on November 5, 1931, in Hartford, Connecticut, the only child of Floyd Snedden Prothero and Beatrice Tupman Prothero. Her mother was a music teacher, both piano and violin. Her father, an officer in the U.S. Air Force, died in 1937 in New York City when M’Jeanne was only six years old. After his passing, she and her mother relocated to Beatrice’s home state of Kentucky.

On her mother’s side, M’Jeanne was a descendent of Elizabeth Boone Grant, sister of Daniel Boone. When M’Jeanne was in elementary school, her mother drove her and her elderly grandparents across the country to southern California, where they lived for a year or so before returning to Kentucky. When M’Jeanne was in middle school, they relocated to California for good, settling in San Bernardino, where Beatrice purchased a bungalow on a deep, wide lot.

A lifelong animal lover, M’Jeanne especially loved horses; they were one of her greatest passions in life, so she was delighted to live on a property with enough space for her to have a horse of her own. She got Flicker, a retired movie horse, when she was a teenager, and spent many happy hours riding him up and down the dry washes of southern California. She and her mother always kept dog and cat companions, as well.

M’Jeanne graduated from San Bernardino High School and Valley College before obtaining her teaching degree in elementary education at U.C. Santa Barbara. Her first teaching job was in Yucaipa.

M’Jeanne married Elmer Louis Erwin in February of 1954. The couple briefly lived in Los Angeles before relocating to Los Gatos, California. After studying maps of the area, they chose Los Gatos because they wanted to live in a small town on the edge of a larger metropolitan area, and Los Gatos fit the bill perfectly. They bought a house near Blossom Hill and Union Avenue, which at that time was still surrounded by the orchards that had given the Santa Clara Valley its original nickname, “Valley of Heart’s Delight.” It was there that their children were born, Cathy in 1958 followed by Chris in 1960.

In 1964 Elmer and M’Jeanne moved up to the Santa Cruz Mountains and rented a house on west Summit Road. Three years later, they bought an old farmhouse on four acres on east Summit, where M’Jeanne started raising Arabian horses and hybrid bearded iris, another of her great passions. As she put it, “Elmer made ALL of my dreams come true!”

M’Jeanne had quit teaching when her children were born, but she later returned to the profession to teach second grade in the Union District, a position she held from approximately 1968 to 1974.

In 1985, M’Jeanne and Elmer moved to a 128-acre property out on Loma Prieta Way that they had purchased some years earlier, and upon which they built their sprawling, ranch style dream house. They designed it themselves and had it built by long-time mountain resident Charlie Norman, a local contractor who was also a neighbor. A beautiful, sweeping piece of land, the Loma Prieta Way property had plenty of flat open space, and—unusual for the Santa Cruz Mountains—an abundant supply of water that never ran out, even during the most severe droughts. On clear days, of which there were many, you could see the Pacific Ocean.

M’Jeanne was a vivacious, creative, artistic woman with many hobbies and interests. She much enjoyed gathering with like-minded people and was one of the founding members of the Gold Coast Arabian Horse Association. She was also a member of the venerable Loma Prieta Club, and the Monterey Bay Iris Society. She found many treasured friends through these associations.

M’Jeanne was fascinated by natural history and possessed a deep love of nature, values she passed on to her children. Her love of animals extended to wild visitors her children brought home and later released, including snakes, lizards, and frogs. She delighted in feeding the hummingbirds that are so abundant in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a tradition she maintained for the entire six decades she lived there.

Growing up during the Depression with a single mom, M’Jeanne developed resilience and clever problem solving skills. She was quite the self-taught carpenter. Cathy’s passion was birds, and M’Jeanne supported her in that by building an aviary for her when, as a preteen, Cathy was given some fancy pigeons.

When Elmer declined suddenly and passed away on September 15, 2025, M’Jeanne was, in her own words, utterly lost without him. They had been married for 71 wonderful years. Unable to stay in their remote mountain home alone, she moved to Brookdale Senior Living in Scotts Valley, California, in October of that year. Her children and grandchildren had all relocated to other states years before, and though they stayed in touch and visited, it was not the same as having family nearby.

On March 12, 2026, with both her children, her beloved granddaughter Monica, and her good friend and fellow horse lover Todd Azevedo by her side, M’Jeanne slipped away and followed Elmer to the other side.

M’Jeanne was preceded in death by her parents, Floyd and Beatrice Prothero, and her husband Elmer. She is survived by her daughter Catherine Kendall (spouse Steve), her son Christopher Erwin (spouse Leah), her grandchildren Monica Adams (spouse Keira), Alexander Moore, Daniel Moore (spouse Shannon), and great-granddaughter, Moira Adams.

The family would like to thank first responders, the staff of Brookdale Senior Living, the staff of Dominican Hospital, and Hospice of Santa Cruz for the care and compassion they showed M’Jeanne in her final days.

A joint memorial for M’Jeanne and Elmer was held in May of 2026. They are greatly missed, but her family is at peace knowing they are together again.