Mrs. Mary Jane (Lawrence) Elsass of Bowling Green passed away October 2, 2018 at Heritage Corner. Mary Jane was born on May 23, 1924 to Arthur and Kathleen (Line) Lawrence on the family’s farm near Steuben, Ohio (Huron County) where she also grew up and graduated from North Fairfield High School in 1941.
In high school she was a four-year member of the Future Homemakers of America and competed in the Prince of Peace Declamation contest at the state and regional levels. The entire Lawrence family was involved in 4-H Clubs at the local and state levels. A Kroger Scholarship afforded her the opportunity to attend Ohio State University from which she graduated in 1945 with a bachelors’ degree in Home Economics.
Straight from OSU she accepted a teaching position at Anna High School, where she met Anna native David Elsass while he was serving in the army. Two years later they married and moved to Whitehouse, Ohio where Mary Jane again taught high school home economics. In 1949, they both accepted teaching positions at Wauseon where they stayed for eight years, during which time their son Dan and daughter Jane were born. In 1957, they moved to Berea where their son Doug was born. In 1960, they moved to Bowling Green where they lived the last 58 years.
Mary Jane worked more than 14 years as an assistant at Bowling Green State University during Freshman Registration. She also was a part-time instructor in adult continuing education through Bowling Green High School. Other part-time paid positions included area sales representative for Bosch baking equipment and owner-operator of the Family Oven bakery for five years.
Dedicated to community service, Mary Jane was an original co-chair of the initial Wheeled Meals Program for area seniors and disabled residents through the Wood County Hospital Guild. She was the second woman to be elected to the St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Council, where she also taught Sunday school classes and was active in women’s circle and quilting groups. She was a member of the Wood County Mental Health Board and the local chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. She also was past president of a local PEO chapter, the religious women’s student scholarship and service group.
Mary Jane was preceded in death in June 2018 by her beloved husband of 70 years, Dr. David Elsass, former Dean of Education at BGSU. Her daughter Jane Elsass (Robert) Barman died in 2007. She also was preceded in death by her brother Roger (Pauline) Lawrence, her sisters Margaret (Frank) Wilcox and Nancy Lawrence and her sister-in-law Elinor Elsass (Herbert) Trumbore. She is survived by her sons Dan (Gail Anderson Elsass) of Madison, Wisconsin, and Doug (Susan) of St. Paul, Minnesota. Grandchildren are Hannah Wroblewski (Andrew), Kirke Elsass (Melinda Misener), Greta Zuke (Paul), and William Elsass.
Her family would like to thank the compassionate and professional medical staffs and caregivers of Heritage Corner, Wood County Hospital and The Bridge Hospice for maintaining Mary Jane’s quality of life during the last year.
A Celebration of Life for Mary Jane Elsass will be held at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church at 315 S. College Ave in Bowling Green at 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 13, 2018. Visitation with family will begin at 10:00 AM until service time at the Church. Private interment will be at Oak Grove Cemetery prior to visitation. Memorial contributions may be given to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Endowment Fund or BGSU Foundation David and Mary Jane Elsass Scholarship Fund at BGSU Miletti Alumni Center, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Dunn Funeral Home, located in the Historical District of Bowling Green at 408 West Wooster Street. (419)352-2132.
To leave an online condolence with the Elsass family please visit dunnfuneralhome.com.
