Elsa Catherine Bertagnolli Brown - beloved sister, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend, died Friday, February 18, 2022, in her Mobile home, surrounded by her adoring family. She was born in her namesake city of Elsa, Texas to Oliver and Irene Bertagnolli on February 26, 1927. Elsa and her six siblings were raised in Spanish Fort, AL. When she was four, her father passed and she and her sisters went to live at St. Mary's Children's Home in Mobile, returning home frequently to visit her mother and brothers. She was a majorette in the St. Mary's Cathedral Band and remained at St. Mary's until she graduated from Bishop Toolen High School in 1946. Throughout her life, she remained close to many of the nuns, staff and other girls living at St. Mary's
She met her husband-to-be, George Earl Brown, on a blind date arranged by her sister Evelyn, who insisted her date bring a friend for her sister. They were wed on August 19, 1950, and lived in Montgomery, Mobile and Toledo, OH, before permanently settling in the forest Hill neighborhood in Mobile in 1963, where they raised their children alongside neighbors who became lifelong friends. After their children were grown, they spent many weekends at their fishing camp in Stockton, where many more friends were made. She made even more friends at the Senior Center where she enjoyed bingo for many years.
Elsa was preceded in death by her parents,Oliver and Irene; an infant child, George E., Jr.; her husband, George; her brothers, Oliver Bertagnolli, Jr., Joseph Bertagnolli, and Robert Bertagnolli; and her sisters, Mary Sandell and Evelyn Sanchez. She is survived by her son, George A. Brown (Linda); daughter, Deborah Stapleton (Wayne); grandchildren, Kristin, Alyson (Brian), Brian (Sabrina), and Aimee; great-grandchildren, Keely, Rylan, Ember, Henry, and Beckett; her baby sister, Irene Duff; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A visitation will be held on the evening of Thursday, February 24, from 5-8 p.m., at Radney Funeral Home on Dauphin Street. A Mass of Christian Burial service will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 25, at Holy Family Catholic Church in Mobile, followed by interment at 12:30 p.m. in Belforest Catholic Cemetery in Daphne, AL. Serving as pallbearers will be her nephews, David Bertagnolli, Michael Bertagnolli, Les Brown, Paul Duff, Tim McKenzie, and Rusty Sanders. Condolences may be offered at www.radneyfuneralhome-mobile.com.
