HAAKE, ELSA ELIZABETH June 30, 1905 to April 15, 2004 ELSA was born and raised in Chicago where her parents owned a bakery. She, her brothers George and Augie and her sister Irma attended schools in the area, and then the University of Illinois where she joined the Kappa Delta Sorority. In 1932 ELSA married Louis Haake who also was in the baking business. The extended family often summered at a family home in Eagle River, Wisconsin. In 1946, Lou and ELSA and their two children Paula and Louis Jr. known to all as Bud, moved to San Diego, settling in Kensington. Lou joined the First National Bank, retiring in 1969. In addition to raising her family, ELSA became involved in Kensington Community Church. Activities included the Guild, various Circles and the annual Rummage Sale, while Lou sang in the Choir. Elsa enjoyed gardening, playing bridge, cooking and entertaining. Her cut flowers and apricot kuchen were looked forward to by family and neighbors. Often friends of Paula ' s or Bud ' s would join the family for dinner. Two of ELSA ' s cousins, Elizabeth Stearns Hulbert and Helen Hesselbach Markel also lived in San Diego and the families shared many holidays. Elsa enjoyed traveling, and after Lou ' s death in 1978, she and Paula took trips in the U.S. and Southern Canada, and attended family reunions in South Carolina and Montana. In 1995, ELSA moved to the Redwood Town Court, a retirement home in Escondido to be near Paula and family. Although she made new ones, ELSA also kept her circle friends from Kensington days, many of whom continued to visit her after she moved to Escondido. Elsa was preceded in death by her husband Lou and a grandson, David Merrell DeBlanc. She is survived by her children Paula DeBlanc (John) and Bud Haake (Sherry), six grandchildren Brian, Jeff and Greg Haake, and Ron, Karen (Fellenbaum) and Brad DeBlanc, four great-granddaughters and two great-grandsons and her godson Dr. Bill Tietz of Bozeman, Montana. A family interment is planned at El Camino Cemetery, followed by a celebration of life at Kensington Church in June.Please sign the guest book at obituaries.uniontrib.com
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune on 4/25/2004.