Memorial Service for Elsa Altshool Wednesday
March 31, 2008
Elsa Freudenthal Altshool, a life-long resident of Las Cruces, died on March 28, 2008 at the age of 73. She was born April 30, 1934 to Louis E. and Carmen Kahn Freudenthal, whose families had settled in New Mexico in the 1800s. She attended Las Cruces High School and Antioch College, earning her BA from Mills College in 1955.
Elsa gave folk guitar lessons for many years, sharing her extensive knowledge of American folk music with her students. She also sold her crafts at numerous juried fairs, and after her brother Max died, operated Valley Insurance Agency, the family business started by her father.
Elsa was a vocal advocate for the disenfranchised and continued the family tradition of community activism and contributions. Over the years, she was active with the Democratic Party as well as numerous organizations including: Community Action Agency, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Progressive Voters’ Alliance, Doña Ana Historical Society, National Organization of Women, Pioneer Women’s Park Neighborhood Association, La Casa, Central Elementary clothing bank, LCCT, the soup kitchen, Temple Beth-El library, and the Community Concert Association.
Additional community involvement included: Casa de Peregrinos, Friends of Branigan Library, Temple Beth-El Sisterhood, League of Women Voters, Jardin des los Niños. Unitarian Universalists, New Mexico Genealogical Web Project, Gospel Rescue Mission, peace and justice movements; she was also a founding member of the Holiday Helpers, providing children with gifts at Christmas.
A writer especially interested in the history of Doña Ana County and cooking, Elsa published “When Ragtime was Young and Grandma did the Cooking,” an historic account of her French grandmother’s cooking in Sedalia, Missouri. Active in the Border Book Festival, she participated in the “Lila Wallace–Reader’s Digest Foundation Family Story and Oral History Writing Project– Divine Frontier.” Elsa was also active with the Sisterhood Scribblers at Temple Beth-El.
Elsa is survived by her daughter, Jan and her partner Deborah LeRose of Vancouver, British Columbia. A memorial service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 2000 S. Solano on Wednesday, April 2, at 3:00 p.m. A reception will follow at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the ACLU of New Mexico, People for the American Way, or a charity of your choice.
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