Obituary of Elsie Straube

Mary Elsie Straube, 98, of Chester, Connecticut passed away on August 15, 2021, following an extended illness. A private family funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, August 20 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Chester. Burial will follow the funeral at St. Joseph’s Church Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Robinson, Wright & Weymer funeral home in Centerbrook, Connecticut. Elsie was born in Swansea, Massachusetts on May 31, 1923, the daughter of John Amaral and Aldina DeJesus Raposo of Sao Miguel, Azores. She graduated from Warren High School in Warren, Rhode Island. Elsie was married to Harold M. Straube on July 9, 1947; they were married for 54 years. Elsie was one of the first Pan American Airlines flight attendants, a long-time docent at the Wadsworth Athenium Museum of Art, a docent at the Florence Griswold Museum, and an accomplished seamstress. She also worked as a translator for the Brazilian tall ships during their arrival at the New London festival and was engaged with the local Estuary Council of Seniors. She was well known at the Masonicare at Chester Village retirement home for her engaging teddy bear collection. Her favorite hobbies were sewing, cooking, gardening, and interior decorating. She was a gourmet cook and hostess and worked through Julia Child’s cookbook recipe by recipe. Her homemade yeast rolls were delightful. Elsie is survived by her five children Barry (Patricia), Mark (Kathy), Heidi, Peter (Heather), Maria Whitehouse (Jim), her eight grandchildren (Christopher, Christie Masinick (Mike), Andrew (Lauren Doll), Jonathan, Laurie, Dustin (Julia), Morgan Whitehouse, Zack Whitehouse), her five great grandchildren (Michael Masinick, Annabelle Masinick, Virginia Masinick, Wren Procopio, Leona Straube) and two nephews, John Romano (Peggy) and Louis Romano. Elsie is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Harold, her sisters Etelvina and Maria, and her brother John Jr. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be given to The Wadsworth Athenium Museum of Art in Hartford, CT, The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT, or the Estuary Council of Seniors in Old Saybrook, CT. The family of Elsie Straube wishes to thank the administrators and staff at Masonicare at Chester Village for their support and companionship during Elsie’s residency there. They also want to express their appreciation to the Aaron Manor Rehabilitation and Nursing Center care team, the Middlesex Hospital care team, and the Middlesex Hospital Hospice staff for their loving care of Elsie during her stays with them.