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| Elsie Winterbottom December 21, 1942 - October 04, 2021 |
Elsie Winterbottom, beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, family matriarch and loyal friend, died the evening of October 4, 2021. She went peacefully at home in Winston-Salem, NC at the age of 99.
Elsie was who we all wanted to be when we grew up. She might have been small in stature, but she was big on personality and was so much fun to be around. She was known for an amazing sense of humor and told the most interesting stories of a life well lived. One favorite was about the time she was working in a secure Washington, DC facility during World War II. She had moved to the area from outside of Pittsburgh while her husband, Raymond was overseas. She was tasked with getting ID from all who entered and she, of course, required it of everyone because “lose lips sink ships.” All went fine until a high-ranking military officer could not produce his identification. He replied with, “This is ridiculous, do you know who you are dealing with?” This unhappy officer complained to her superiors and her actions were shared up the chain of command. To the officer’s chagrin, the complaints resulted not in a reprimand but in an invite for tea at the White House in the Rose Garden with Bess Truman.
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Elsie was born to Rodney and Elsie in Swissvale, PA in 1922. She married Raymond Winterbottom on December 21, 1942. Elsie and Raymond had known each other since they were small children living across the street from each other. Another favorite story was how they got into quite a bit of trouble when Raymond found his Christmas presents hidden in the attic and invited Elsie over to play with them long before Christmas Day. Together they raised four children, Karen, Rod, Debi and Bobby.
Elsie was an avid reader, enjoyed crosswords and was quite the card shark. In fact, she played Hand and Foot on Friday nights with the Friedberg Village crew, until very recently.
She picked up golf later in life but turned out to be a natural. She used to say, “I don’t hit it long, but I hit it straight.”
Elsie was also an amazing cook. She was known for many things, but favorites were meatloaf and macaroni and cheese, bean soup and potato pancakes, and snickerdoodles. She would share recipes freely, but they never tasted as good as when she made them herself.
She was also well known for her salty language and many a grandchild had to be taught that some words were not to be said by children as they were “Nanny’s words.” She loved to socialize with friends and family, and she always ensured that drinks were flowing, and food was plentiful. She was also known for her drink of choice, a very dry martini or as most people know it, a vodka on the rocks.
Elsie is preceded in death by her parents, Rodney and Elsie, sisters Anne and Helen, husband Raymond, son Rod, and grandson Ray. She is survived by her children, Karen, Debi and Bobby, 14 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
Per Elsie’s wishes, no memorial service will be held but, if you’re so inclined, please raise a glass of your favorite cocktail in her memory. The family invites you to imagine her toasting back from the 19th Hole. Cheers.
Online condolences may be made at www.davidsonfuneralhome.net
To send a flower arrangement or to plant trees in memory of Elsie Winterbottom, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.
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