Elizabeth Elmore, 67, banker

Elizabeth Elmore, 67, of Rydal, a leading Philadelphia banker and advocate for women, died Monday, June 15, of brain cancer, at her home.

In 2002, Mrs. Elmore retired early from Wells Fargo Bank, where she served as senior vice president and managing director, to transform her part-time volunteerism into a full-time commitment. For many years, she led organizations that support women and families in underserved communities.

Her belief in women's independence was an attitude fostered by her father, who encouraged his daughters to pursue work in fields outside the norm for women, said her husband, Michael Grimes.

She was the second daughter of William Elmore, a physics professor emeritus at Swarthmore College, and Barbara Page Elmore. Born in Swarthmore on Dec. 30, 1947, she graduated from Swarthmore High School in 1965. She went on to Lake Forest College, where she graduated with honors and a bachelor of arts in economics in 1969. During college, Mrs. Elmore discovered a passion for the banking industry while working as a summer teller for PNC Bank.

Upon graduation, Mrs. Elmore applied to work at several banks but was told women were not admitted into the professional programs in which she knew she could thrive, her husband said. So she set her sights on the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

There, she found an intimidating environment in which she was often the only woman in the class. But Mrs. Elmore was "very determined" to excel, said her daughter Claire Dullighan Ramamurthy. In 1972, she was among the first generation of women to graduate with an M.B.A.

With the Wharton diploma, Mrs. Elmore gained access to several areas of the male-dominated industry, holding positions in corresponding banking, corporate lending, and communications, media, and retail companies. She worked at Philadelphia National, First Wisconsin, CoreStates, First Union, and Wachovia National Bank before holding executive roles at Wells Fargo.

Memories of her difficulty breaking into the banking world never left her. Determined to see other women flourish in traditionally male fields, her advocacy for equality began in the 1970s as a supporter of Women's Way during the organization's inception.

Mrs. Elmore was also involved with CHOICE, an organization supporting reproductive rights for women, and she later served on the board of directors. She served on the board of the women's organization OPTIONS, and Career Wardrobe, an organization dedicated to empowering women with employment and education, where she also served as treasurer.

Women's Way recognized Mrs. Elmore's decades of commitment when, in October 2014, the 12th Annual Fall Gala was held in her honor.

"In every photo we have of her of that night she was just beaming," her husband said. "She was so pleased."

In addition to her volunteer work, she enjoyed golf and European travel, and she was a talented seamstress, knitter, and quilter. A dedicated friend, daughter, sister, mother, and wife, Mrs. Elmore "was the glue that brought geographically dispersed siblings together many times," according to a family tribute.

In addition to her husband and daughter, she is survived by another daughter, Allyn Dullighan; three grandchildren; two sisters; one brother; and her former husband, John Dullighan, whom she divorced in the early 1990s.

A memorial service for Mrs. Elmore is to be at 11 a.m. Sunday, June 28, at the Huntingdon Valley Country Club, 2295 Country Club Drive, Huntingdon Valley, Pa. 19006. A private burial in Montour Cemetery, Montour Falls, N.Y., is to follow.

Donations in her memory can be sent to Career Wardrobe, 21 S. 12th St., Suite 110, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107, or at www.careerwardrobe.org.

484-792-1269