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Carmen Johnson Elsner

Female 1926 - 2015  (88 years)


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  • Name Carmen Johnson Elsner 
    Born 29 Oct 1926  Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    Died 28 Jun 2015 
    Person ID I446859  Little Chute Genealogy
    Last Modified 29 Jun 2015 

    Father Willis Wibert Elsner,   b. 10 Sep 1899, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 28 Oct 1977, Georgia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 78 years) 
    Mother Nanna Margaret Johnson,   b. 22 Sep 1905, Rusk County, Wisconsin Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 08 Jun 1982, Georgia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 76 years) 
    Married 24 Feb 1926  Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F165395  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • Carmen Johnson Elsner, age 88, of Little Chute, passed away peacefully on June 28, 2015, at the Atrium Acute Care. Carmen born on October 29, 1926, at St. Elizabeth Hospital, first born of Willis Wilbert Sr. and Nanna Margaret (Johnson) Elsner. She was also the first grandchild of both grandparents.

      Carmen always liked classical music. In 5th grade she met Mr. Jay Williams, who was the music teacher for the Appleton School System. He got her interested in orchestra and she started playing the violin. When she got to Roosevelt Jr. High, she found her real love, the cello. She loved the sound it produced. She graduated from Appleton High School in 1944 and with the help of her uncle, Rev. Max Strong, went to college in Dubuque, Iowa, then transferring to Grinnell College where she graduated from in 1948. Carmen then started her life's work in journalism at the Appleton Post Crescent in their Neenah-Menasha office. She then moved on to Madison to work for the Wisconsin State Journal, where she would stay until her retirement in 1991.

      While making her home in Madison, she did servicing for her job and found her cello again. Her wish was to become involved in the orchestra and Madison Symphony Orchestra; she also would be called on the play in quartets. Carmen at one time had three cellos, one of them being a children's size. She loaned it out to many boys and girls who started to learn music.

      In 1987, her sister Lou Ellen retired from teaching and came to live with her. In 1997, they decided to move back to the valley. By 1999, they moved to Little Chute. Carmen continued to be involved in the orchestra in Appleton. She was also a lifelong member of the First Congregational Church.

      Carmen is survived by her sister: Denis Koepke, and many nieces and nephews.

      She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother: Willis Jr. and her sisters: Lou Ellen and Delores.

      The funeral service for Carmen will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2015, at the Highland Memorial Park Star of Hope Chapel, 3131 N Richmond St. Appleton. A time of visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. Online condolences may be expressed at www.wichmannfargo.com