Elsie Marie Patterson, 86, died on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025.

Elsie was born on March 15, 1939, in Pittsburgh, PA. She graduated from Monessen High School. She received her BA Degree from Muskingum University, New Concord, Ohio, and her MA from Bowling Green State University, Ohio.

She taught at Stephens College in Columbia, MO, then earned her PHD in Speech Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

She taught Speech Communications at UW-La Crosse from 1961, until her retirement in 2003, as an Emeritus Professor.

She was a member of First Presbyterian Church, where she served as a deacon and elder. She was a member of the AAUW, and served as Chair of the Art Fair on the Green for four years.

Elsie was a 30 year member of the La Crosse Exercise and Health Program. She wanted to thank Gundersen Medical Center for over fifty years of care.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and is survived by two cousins in Pittsburgh, PA.