Mary Elsa Abele

1938 - 2019

Mary Elsa Abele (Elsa), 81 of Concord, NH, died peacefully in the early morning at Havenwood Heritage Heights on July 1st 2019. Elsa was surrounded by family and dear friends leading up to the morning of her passing. She was born on April 1st 1938 to Dorothea Gray Pflug and Harold Augustus Pflug in Saint Louis, MO.

Elsa is survived by her husband Reine, her sister Susan Ulmer, her "sister" Jane Chittick, and her children George Abele, Susan Abele, Mary (Dodi) Abele-Austin and Anna Abele and their loving families. She will be missed by colleagues and students, families and friends that are too numerous to name. Elsa was a speech pathologist by profession and educator by vocation. Elsa began her career by teaching teens and children, and later educating teachers. In the later part of her career she was a professor at Boston University where she taught students and professionals to work effectively with people with Asperger's Syndrome adding to the field and the lives of individuals and families in a myriad of ways. She was considered a national expert on this subject and has a training room at AANE (Asperger's/Autism Network) dedicated in her honor. In all of her life's work as a teacher, she was always compassionate, caring, kind, and thoughtful to the needs of others. She found the best in others and encouraged her family to do the same - a trait that made the world a better place around her.

Whether sharing a poem with her book group of two, catching up on the news with her grandchildren, shopping with her daughters and friends, or strolling the beach looking for shells, Elsa's life was full of joy. Some of her adventures included time as a young woman working a summer at Yellowstone National Park where she enjoyed the grand beauty of the park. She enjoyed annual summer vacation trips with her family to places like Cape Cod (always a favorite), Moosehead Lake in Maine, and more recently Lake Cobbesecontee in Maine. She loved the call of loons and sound of waves brushing against the shore. Some of her favorite times were with her daughters wandering the beaches of Nantucket. This became a regular event, usually during May when daffodils were in bloom.

Elsa enjoyed traveling with family, friends, and her loving husband, Reine. They were fortunate to travel to many places including England, Israel, Germany, Prague, Turkey, Montreet, and places across the United States. Traveling with Reine brought joy to them both and enriched their lives.

Elsa was a member of the Church of the Covenant in Boston, MA for many years and thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the wonderful fellowship of the congregation. She was a regular in the church choir. In fact, Elsa was involved in church life and choirs her entire life having grown up the daughter of a minister and then marrying Reine, a congregational minister. Elsa and Reine supported many church communities over the years. She loved the fellowship she found there.

There will be a memorial service at Church of the Covenant on Sunday, September 1st at 2:00. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her honor to: City Missions Society of Boston, 185 Columbia Road, Boston, MA 02121; AANE, 51 Water Street, Suite 206, Watertown, MA, 02472 AANE; Church of the Covenant, 67 Newbury St. Boston MA 02116.

The Cremation Society of New Hampshire is assisting with funeral arrangements.