Sandra Horn Elstein

Elstein, Sandra Horn

Sandra Horn Elstein, of Milford and Southport, died on Wednesday, July 16, at the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven, after courageously battling cancer for a year. She was 78. Born in Bridgeport, CT to a prominent family, she was the daughter of the late Ruth Carlson Horn and the late Dr. Morris Horn. Mrs. Horn was a noted patron of the arts and innovator in Bridgeport's arts community. Her father, Morris Horn, M.D., served in Europe in World War II as a Captain in the Army Medical Corps and died while serving his country. Mrs. Elstein's grandparents were Frances and William Carlson of Bridgeport. Her grandfather was a prominent industrialist and philanthropist, aiding in the building of Bridgeport. He also served as Ringmaster at the annual Barnum Festival in 1952, where his granddaughter, Sandra, rode with him in the carriage leading the parade for the event. A graduate of Harding H.S. in Bridgeport, Sandra Elstein received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Connecticut College in 1957. She majored in Fine Arts. That same year, she married Henry Elstein, a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School. The two had been childhood sweethearts. They raised three children: Debbie, Bruce and Kim. Mrs. Elstein was a volunteer for over 25 years at the Morgan Library in New York City working with the public programs and conservation departments in addition to doing research on a recent Morgan Library publication. Prior to volunteering at the Morgan, she participated in a Significant Interiors Survey, a joint project of the ASID and City of New York Landmarks Preservation Commission. In Fairfield, she was a longtime member and former director of the Fairfield Historical Society. Active in alumni affairs at Connecticut College, she was elected to the Connecticut College Alumni Association Board of Directors shortly before her death. Mrs. Elstein also served as Reunion Chairperson and Class President for the Class of 1957 for many years and most notably for her 50th Class Reunion. Mrs. Elstein had a deep interest in genealogy and in the late 1990's she did extensive research on her own family history. That work led to the discovery of a large number of relatives throughout France who were thought to have perished in Poland during the Holocaust. The French cousins and their American counterparts have visited back and forth since 1999, and kept in close contact, all due to Sandra's efforts. An enthusiastic traveler, creative architectural designer, avid reader and arts lover, Sandra Elstein's curiosity and keen mind led to her selection as a contestant on Jeopardy, in that popular quiz show's inaugural year, 1964. Devoted to her family, Sandra Elstein is survived by her husband of 57 years, Henry Elstein; her son, Bruce and his wife, Carol Porrata Elstein of Trumbull; her daughters, Debbie Elstein Lemen of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, and Kim Elstein of Greenwich and her fiancé, Tommy Atkinson; her grandchildren, Andrew and Julia Elstein and sister-in-law Abby Schine. She was pre-deceased by her son-in-law, Don Lemen. Services will be held at the Abraham L. Green and Son Funeral Home, 88 Beach Road, Fairfield, on Sunday, July 20 at 1 p.m. Burial will be at B'nai Israel Cemetery, Fairfield. Memorial contributions may be made to the Morgan Library, 225 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 or Connecticut College 270 Mohegan Avenue, New London, CT 06320 or the charity of one's choice.