Anna Elsner's Obituary
Anna Elsner passed away peacefully on March 26, 2024. She was the daughter of the late Andrew and Anna (Masha) Mihal who emigrated from Austria Hungary (now Slovakia) to the United States in the early 1900s. Anna was born on March 5, 1934 in Garfield, NJ and grew up with her late brothers, John and Andy, speaking Rusyn at home. She graduated from Garfield High School in 1952, and attended St. Lawrence University from 1952-1955, where she was the recipient of a St. Lawrence University Alumni Scholarship and majored in History and minored in English. She had to leave St. Lawrence due to a family medical emergency and worked as an engineering assistant at Wright Aeronautical (South Hackensack, NJ) from 1953 to 1959. In May 1959, Anna married the late Francis Elsner at St. Michael the Archangel Byzantine Catholic Church in Passaic, NJ. Anna graduated from Farleigh Dickinson University, cum laude, in 1962.
Anna and Frank moved to Cherry Hill, NJ in 1967, where they raised their 4 children and lived for 42 years in Barclay Farm. They also enjoyed spending time at their house in Ocean City, NJ with family and friends. Anna was a Brownie Scout leader (Cherry Hill, NJ), on the board of directors of the Ballet des Jeunes (Philadelphia, PA), and an active parishioner at Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church (Philadelphia, PA) as a religion teacher and a member of the choir. She loved to attend ballet and theater performances with her dear friend and neighbor, the late Syvonne Forkin. Anna and Frank enjoyed traveling extensively and their last trip together was a trip to Russia. Anna took her children to Slovakia in 2017, to learn about the country and to visit her family in Kapišova, the village where her parents were born.
Anna worked as a Preschool Teacher at Tiny Tots Preschool (Magnolia, NJ), as an Assistant to the CFO of Butcher & Co. (Philadelphia, PA) and as an Assistant to the CFO at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA). Anna will be remembered as an avid reader, a superb cook and a talented and prolific seamstress and needleworker. She enjoyed collecting antiques, especially furniture and Flow Blue china. Anna believed so strongly in the value of a college education that she established 2 scholarships at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh to benefit Tamburitzan performing artists. Anna moved to Davidson, NC in 2016 where she was a resident of The Pines at Davison and a parishioner at The Byzantine Mission Parish in Ft. Mill, SC.
Anna is survived by her children, Kurt (Barbara) Elsner, Dr. Cindy (Steve Robertson) Elsner, Andrea (Tim) Haritan, and Matthew Elsner; her grandchildren, Marianne (Matt) Jiorle, Krystyna Elsner, Andrew Wuerz, Alex Wuerz, Emily Wuerz, Allegra (Mitko) Nikolov, LT Tyler Haritan USN, Madison Morgan and Nicholas Elsner; great granddaughter, Georgia Morgan; and many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins.
Anna’s family would like to thank the caring staff at The Pines and at VIA Hospice Care for taking such good care of Anna during the last years of her life. We also appreciate April Tate, who was a dedicated caregiver and friend to “Miss Anna” for many years.
The funeral mass will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2024, 10:00 AM, at St. Michael the Archangel Byzantine Catholic Cathedral, 112 1st St, Passaic, NJ 07055. The interment will follow at Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Cemetery in Saddle Book, NJ
Donations can be made in Anna’s memory to:
The Pines Resident Support Fund https://thepinesatdavidson.org/foundation/contact-us-philanthropy-davidson-nc/ and Byzantine Catholic Seminary https://bcs.edu/donation/
James Funeral Home, of Huntersville, is serving the family locally and obituary lovingly written by the family.
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