1 Photo
Elsie Reilly Nelson died peacefully on March 18, 2019 at her home in New York City. She was surrounded by her family.
Born on July 15th, 1925, Elsie graduated from Convent of the Sacred Heart in 1943 and Manhattanville College in 1947. After graduating from college, she taught algebra and grammar at Convent of the Sacred Heart before enrolling in 1949 at The St. John’s University School of Law, where she met her husband, George A. Nelson, Jr. In 1953, she joined her father’s law firm, Clarke & Reilly. It then became known as Reilly & Reilly and she practiced law for over thirty years.
A member of The Bathing Corporation of Southampton for over six decades, Elsie was renowned for her impeccable style. She may have had an extraordinary hat in every color. Known locally as both “Big Else” and the “Lady of the Lake,” she could be seen in the afternoons walking her beloved rescue dogs around Olde Towne Pond in front of her home on Gin Lane - itself the setting for countless wonderful get-togethers of family and friends.
Elsie loved to cook. Her recipes were legendary--some very successful, others not--but all
prepared with unbridled enthusiasm. She was a true “bon- vivant.” Her last request was for a flute of champagne. She lived her life on her own terms and will be missed profoundly by all who knew and loved her.
A devout parishioner of and generous donor to Our Lady of Poland Church, Elsie is interred at
Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary R.C. Cemetery in Southampton, alongside her husband and her parents, John Gabriel and Elsie Stork Reilly.
She is survived by her four children, Elsie Nelson, Mary Dinwiddie (Lee),
Catherine Brown, and George Nelson (Dovile), five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
This obit was submitted by and paid for by the Nelson family.
on Apr 29, 2019