Elsie N Kainrad

She was born on June 3, 1928, in Smithfield, Pennsylvania by the Laurel Highlands of the Appalachian Mountain range. Elsie lived a humble but happy life with her parents and four sisters on a small farm where they swam in or skated on Rock Hole and walked to and from school through all types of weather. She proudly kept her report cards for eighty years.

Upon graduating from high school, Elsie moved to Akron, Ohio to join two of her sisters and also began working at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company where her iconic shoe sole comparison picture appeared in the Wingfoot Clan. In December of 1949, she attended a dance at the German American Club and met John Kainrad. They were married within a year and never stopped dancing.

The couple lived on a farm in Palmyra where Elsie grew and canned vegetables, baked pies, became an extraordinary cook (her roast beef and gravy was legendary) and was a domestic engineer to her children. Nearly all of the family’s food needs were raised on the farm. It was also during this time that she became known as ‘Elsie North”. She would later write newsy articles for the Record Courier and worked from 1966-1988 at Southeast High School, lastly as the secretary to the Superintendent of the Southeast Local School District.

Elsie loved her family, friends and Immaculate Conception Church where she was a Mass Lector, member of the Red Hats Society, Infant of Prague, and the Young At Hearts. Elsie was an avid reader in her later years and enjoyed selecting her books from Reed Memorial Library.

The final several years created many physical health challenges for her and she found comfort at Vista Veranda with their caring staff and her new friends.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of fifty five years, John, and her grandson Mark Beaudry.

Elsie’s memories will live on with her children Alan (Liz) Kainrad, Kathy (Edmond) Beaudry and John D. (Shelly) Kainrad along with ten grandchildren: Aron, Allisyn, Adam, Josef, Michael, Meghan, Matthew, Eddie, Karissa and Kaylee and eleven great grandchildren: Jacob, Aubrey, Isaac, Ethan, Liam, Jayden, Elijah, Anika, Evangeline, Johnny and Donovan. Numerous nieces and nephews will greatly miss their beautiful Aunt Elsie.

Should you wish to make a donation in Elsie’s honor, the family suggests Immaculate Conception Church or the American Macular Degeneration Foundation.

Friends will be received on Friday, January 3, 2025 at the Wood-Kortright-Borkoski Funeral Home, 703 E. Main St, Ravenna, from 5pm until 7pm. Mass of Christian Burial, celebrated by Rev. William Kraynak, will be held at 10am on Saturday, January 4 at Immaculate Conception Church, 409 W. Main St, Ravenna. Interment will follow at West Cemetery in Palmyra.

Condolences and memories can be shared at www.wood-kortright-borkoski.com