Elsa Eleanor Brenner

Mrs. Morgan G. Brenner, as she preferred to be known, departed this world June 1, 2024, as she lived in it – with grace and dignity – leaving a legacy of love, compassion, tolerance, curiosity and acceptance to those who journeyed with her and to those whose paths she merely crossed.

Mom was, first and foremost, a mother, wife and homemaker. When challenged by her feminist daughters for giving up her dreams, she replied, “But this is the life I choose. And isn’t choice what you are fighting for?”

Born in the Edgewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA, she took pride in being the daughter of a career US Army Colonel and spent much of her childhood on a variety of Army bases in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and even Yokohama, Japan, where she climbed Mt Fuji. When not on an Army base, her home was in Sheffield, PA, in the heart of the Allegheny Forest, where she fostered her love of nature and spent many a morning on the mountain side appreciating the wonders of the world. She continued that love into adulthood as she and Morgan discovered the joy of bird watching and created a lush English garden in the backyard of their suburban Philadelphia home.

While in nursing school at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing she met and became engaged to Morgan G. Brenner, her husband and best friend for over 60 years. Following her graduation, she moved to Morgan’s hometown of York, PA, where she served as a visiting nurse in the rural areas.

She and Morgan married in 1958 and she eventually left nursing to become a full-time wife and mother. Morgan’s career took them to the Philadelphia suburb of Havertown, PA, where, after years of moving, she finally found a place she would call home for over 40 years.

With her youngest in school, Elsa returned to nursing, serving first as a private-duty nurse before joining the staff of Dr. George Martin’s allergy practice. Retiring after 20 years, she left with not just one, but two, scrapbooks filled with well wishes from the loving staff and patients. When she made friends, it was for a lifetime – the Johns Hopkins 9, those in York and those from Havertown were all on her regular schedule for phone calls, letters and visits.

Elsa found joy in almost every aspect of life. She was a friend to animals – from injured rabbits and birds to her own four-legged companions (including her last friend Barney who made the cross-country move with her) and her volunteer work with Provincetown SPCA. She shared her lifelong love of music with her family as a piano player, dulcimer player and Havertown Chorister. Her helping nature extended beyond her nursing career into volunteer work as a Girl Scout leader and literacy teacher. Proud of her Swedish Heritage, she joined the Swedish Society in Philadelphia and sang in their choir.

But family was always the most important to Elsa. She kept in touch with relatives near and far and in retirement she and Morgan spent time researching their respective genealogy, publishing books on their family histories and making an historic trip to Europe to visit long-lost relatives. She loved being a grandma to Josh, Shannon, Dylan, Ronan, Silas, Simon and Rose; a great-grandmother to Trey and she was looking forward to the arrival of Aidan. After Morgan passed, she moved to California to be closer to the youngest grandchildren.

While she will be missed by many, she will be greatly missed by her children Maggie (Tom), David (Lorena) and Katie who have been blessed to be the recipients of her many gifts and, most of all, her love.

Gatherings will be held in Havertown and York at a later date.