Elsa Helene See

Elsa grew up in a Victorian home in City Island, New York. She often spoke of her childhood adventures in the Catskill Mountains, where she and her siblings enjoyed swimming in lakes and exploring nature. Elsa and Dolly also attended dance classes with Carol Burnett.

Elsa’s inner and outer beauty was as profound as her passions for swimming and the art of dance. That combination earned her a spot as a synchronized swimmer with an entertainment company that traveled throughout Central and South America.

When Elsa returned home, her life, and career path, took a romantic turn. Thanks to a chance encounter, as well as a shared love for roller skating, Elsa Helene Gross met the ruggedly handsome Charles Edward See (aka Chuck/Honey-Bucket/Dad/Papa).

Elsa married her soulmate, Papa, on October 30th, 1952. They went on to have three children, before traveling to California in 1958 to raise their family.

The wife of a veteran, Elsa often wore multiple uniforms, including one moonlighting as a bartender during a short stint as a bar owner. She eventually found a new career as a records clerk for the Santa Ana Police Department, where she retired after 35 years.

Elsa exhibited an amazing talent for living life to the fullest, transcending her ability to float in a pool as buoyantly as Styrofoam. Her strength and devotion were more powerful than her ear-piercing whistling and bubblegum popping. The sweet memories she cultivated with her family outnumbered all the strawberries, tangerines, plums, apples, blackberries, and apricots her backyard garden ever produced.

Still, of all the special things our sister/mom/Gram/Mama showed us, her infinite love for her soulmate, Papa, was the most inspirational. Her devotion will forever shine as bright as the sun’s rays reflecting off a pool in the backyard of a Santa Ana home on a July 4th afternoon.

Elsa is survived by her elegant, and incredibly flexible, younger sister, Dolly, as well as her beloved children, Charlie, and Teresa, six grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. And, quite remarkably, Elsa always remembered their birthdays and she never forgot their names. (Well, she might have switched them around occasionally for a good laugh.)