Elsie Gragasin Bautista

Elsie Gragasin Bautista was born on May 7, 1944, in Nambalan, Santa Ignacia, Tarlac, Philippines. On Tuesday, September 15, Elsie passed away peacefully in her sleep at River Rock Adult Family Home in University Place, Washington, surrounded by the love of her children and immediate family.

Elsie lived a life marked by faith, devotion, generosity, and service to others. She deeply loved her family, valued education and hard work, and carried with her throughout her life the faith and traditions that shaped her from childhood in the Philippines.

For 33 years, Elsie worked as a Library Technician at Olympic College. Her long career reflected her dedication, dependability, and love of learning. Through more than three decades of service, she became part of the fabric of the Olympic College community and took great pride in the work she performed and the people she served.

At the center of Elsie’s life was her Christian faith. She was a longtime and faithful member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, where she served as a Lector and Eucharistic Minister. She was also involved in the Cursillo Movement and, together with her beloved late husband, Francisco Matteo Bautista, Jr., participated in Worldwide Marriage Encounter.

Elsie’s faith was not limited to Sunday worship. It shaped how she lived, how she loved, and how she cared for others. She was a devoted woman of prayer and a lifelong student of the Word of God. Her desire to grow spiritually led her to form a prayer group that continued faithfully for more than a decade. Among those who shared this special fellowship with her were Cindy Large and Colleen Thompson. Their years together reflected something deeply important to Elsie: bringing people together in prayer, friendship, and faith.

Her generosity extended far beyond her immediate community. Elsie faithfully supported the Catholic Church, David Jeremiah Ministries, and Christ Disciples Ministries. Through her support of ministry work in Ghana, West Africa, she helped make possible the construction of multiple churches, leaving a legacy of faith that reached people thousands of miles from her home.

Elsie also treasured her Filipino heritage and community and was a member of the United Ilocanos of Puget Sound. She understood the importance of family, culture, fellowship, and maintaining the traditions that connected her to her roots.

While faith was the foundation of Elsie’s life, family was one of her greatest joys. She loved spending time with those closest to her and created countless memories through camping trips, karaoke, cruises, and razor clamming adventures. These simple moments of laughter and togetherness became part of the legacy her family will carry forward.

Elsie was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Francisco Matteo Bautista, Jr.

She is survived by her brothers, Jesus Gragasin and Nepomuceno Gragasin, Jr.; her children, Elaine Urabe, Henry Bautista, and Joy Thompson; and her six cherished grandchildren, Nina, Anna, Noah, Khye, Matteo, and Billy III.

To her family, Elsie was far more than the accomplishments of her career or the ministries she supported. She was a mother, grandmother, sister, wife, friend, mentor, and woman of faith. Her legacy can be found in the family she loved, the people she prayed with, the students and colleagues she encountered throughout her career, the churches and ministries she supported, and the countless lives touched by her generosity.

Elsie’s family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the wonderful staff at River Rock Adult Family Homes for the compassion, dignity, and love they showed her. Thank you for caring for our mother as though she were a member of your own family.

Elsie’s family finds comfort in the words of 1 Chronicles 29:10–13, a passage that reflects the faith through which she lived her life:

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty... Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.

Elsie lived with faith in God, devotion to her family, generosity toward others, and a heart for prayer. Though she will be deeply missed, the life she lived continues through the people she loved, the faith she shared, and the legacy she leaves behind.