- Elsa was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on April 2, 1930. She spent most of her youth in the city of Velp, experiencing the horrors or war, and the joys of liberation during WWII. She finished high school and became a nanny for autistic children in Holland and Switzerland. Elsa heard that her childhood friend, former neighbor, and teen boyfriend, Art Abma, was returning after five years in the US. She stood at the train station with his parents to meet him. They rekindled their love and married 3 weeks later. Art told her about the natural beauty of Oregon so the newlyweds returned to Forest Grove where they settled and had three daughters. In 1977, during a visit to Holland, Art and Elsa invited their teenage nephew, Menno, to join them the US and pursue the “American Dream.”
Elsa enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom until the girls started school. She then worked as a teaching assistant at Lincoln Jr. High and Neil Armstrong Jr. High for 17 years. When empty nesters, Art and Elsa moved to The Homestead Community in Forest Grove. Elsa used her passion for writing and contributed articles for a book about life in Holland during WWII. An active member of the Dutch-American Heritage Club, Elsa loved the regular lunch dates with her friends. She also volunteered for Valley Art in Forest Grove. One of their favorite pastimes was to take the trailer to camping spots such as Cape Lookout and the Metolius River.
Art and Elsa moved to Jennings McCall Retirement Community in 2015. Elsa loved participating in community activities, watching her “Blazers” and interacting with her grandchildren. Art and Elsa were married for 63 years before Art passed in May, 2018.
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