Dorothy Elsner

Dorothy Elsner, 97, passed away peacefully on January 19, 2024. She was born on April 12, 1926 in New York City to the late Stephen Duncan and Mary Davis Ferris. She was the youngest of four children. Dorothy graduated from Mountain Lakes High School in 1943 and the University of Vermont in 1947. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She also attended the Tobé-Coburn School for Fashion Careers in New York City and graduated in 1948. Dorothy met the love of her life, husband James Elsner while working at G. Fox Department store in Hartford, CT. They were happily married for seventy-two years until his passing in 2022.They lived in West Hartford, Connecticut and raised their three children there. Dorothy was a homemaker for sixteen years until returning to the work force doing administrative work at LIMRA, a life insurance and marketing company. Dorothy is survived by her son Charles A. Elsner (wife Susan Biren), daughter Mary Moss (husband Michael), grandchildren Michael Moss Jr. (wife Laura Moss), Kimberly Moss, Robert Moss (wife Jamie Moss), Emily Elsner (husband Joseph Reiner), Kathryn Moss (fiancé David Torres), and Theodore Elsner (fiancée Kate Lottsfeldt); great-grandchildren Michael III, Gabriel, and Daniel Moss; many nieces and nephews; along with many cherished friends. She is also preceded in death by her son, James E. Elsner Jr; her daughter-in-law Mary Anne (Monroe) Elsner, one brother Charles D. Ferris, and two sisters, Jean F. Law, and Margaret F. Duus. Dorothy was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She enjoyed collecting antiques, many of which she displayed in her beautiful home. Dorothy was an early advocate of the benefits of a healthy diet, encouraging others to do the same. She also had a talent for needlework, creating beautifully framed pictures and pillows. She was an avid gardener and had a green thumb at nurturing plants in the yard and indoors. Clothes and fashion were a lifelong passion and in later years Dorothy could have been a poster girl for Chicos. The family warmly welcomes you to celebrate Dorothy’s wonderful life during calling hours on Friday, January 26 from 4pm-6pm or during a service on Saturday, January 27 at 10:00am, both at the Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Ave. W. Hartford, followed by a graveside interment at Fairview Cemetery. The Elsner and Moss families would like to extend their appreciation for the wonderful care Dorothy was given over the past years at the Hebrew Center for Health in West Hartford and Legacy Ridge in Gainesville, VA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the West Hartford Food Pantry or the Dementia Society of America. For online expressions of sympathy, please visit www.molloyfuneralhome.com.

Dorothy Elsner

April 12, 1926 - January 19, 2024