[1] McElmurry was born in Los Angeles, California[2] and moved to Taos, New Mexico with her family as a child, where they stayed for six years.

[4] McElmurry studied briefly at SUNY Purchase and at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

[1] She was the illustrator of numerous books for children, including the Little Blue Truck series written by Alice Schertle and the self-penned Mad About Plaid.

[6] As a fine art painter, McElmurry initially worked in editorial illustration and later became known for her landscape paintings of New Mexico.

[3] McElmurry lived with her husband in Taos and in Good Dog Island, Minnesota until her death from breast cancer on August 3, 2017.