Else “Elsa” M. (nee Olofson) Logan, 90, of Factoryville, formerly of Ridgewood, NJ and a
native New Yorker, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on December
16, 2023, just 3 weeks short of her 91 st birthday. She was born in New York City on January
6, 1933 to the late Helga (Nielsen) Olofson and Fritz Hugo Olofson. She graduated from
Washington Irving High School in 1950 and then attended the McDowell School where she
studied fashion design and drawing. She was a talented artist as demonstrated by her hand-
drawn Christmas cards. Else was a skilled dancer and loved her time teaching ballroom
dancing at the Dale Dance Studio in the early 1950s. She bought and taught herself how to
use an Apple Macintosh computer years before it became popular. She shared her new-found
creative computer skills with her grandchildren. On the computer, they drew pictures and
wrote some adorable short stories.
Else had a strong faith in God. At age eight she wandered into the 5 th Ave Presbyterian
Church by herself. It quickly became her church family for almost 30 years. She met her
former husband in the youth group, was married there and all her children were baptized
there. She shared her faith and love of God with many, even during her final years through
her daily posts on Facebook. One of her favorite sayings was, “God didn’t bring me this far
just to drop me on my head.” She believed in the power of prayer.
Anyone who met Else knew she loved to tell stories of her time growing up in New York City.
She told about the difficulties of always being the “new kid” at school because she moved 12
times before the age of 10. But she had the opportunity to meet many people from all
backgrounds and nationalities. She was a close friend to Svetlana Beriosova who went on to
become a prima ballerina. Another good friend was Yvonne Wilder. Yvonne became an
actress who appeared in many televisions shows in the 60s, 70s and 80s. It thrilled Else to be
able to point Yvonne out as one of the lead actors / dancers in the 1961 movie musical “West
Side Story.”
Else had many favorite stories to tell. At age 13 she babysat for two-time Academy Award
winning actress, Luise Rainer. She would recall posing in front of the mirror holding one
Oscar in each hand, bowing and pretending to be the recipient. She encountered other
famous people in her neighborhood of the Upper Eastside. She told of an exchange between
her 10 year old self and then Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. She lived just a few blocks away
from Gracie Mansion. Once Else bumped into Rex Harrison (“My Fair Lady”) at the corner store.

She loved New York City. She led a Girl Scout troop when the family lived in the Bronx.
Instead of camping trips, there were trips on the subway to museums and Central Park. The
family moved out to the suburbs of New Jersey in 1968. Being a city girl, she had a bit of
adjusting to do. One time when the lawn needed mowing she commented, “Can’t we just
cover the grass with cement and paint it green?” Else embraced becoming part of a
neighborhood filled with families with lots of children. She created a block party that all the
neighbors came to once a year. She coordinated the food, music and lots of fun with goofy
relay races.
Else was a small business owner back when women were still mostly homemakers. She ran a
film library where independent and documentary filmmakers brought their 16mm films. From
Transit Media their films were shipped to mostly schools and colleges all over the United
States for rental or purchase. When Else sold her company in 1989, she welcomed her oldest
grandchild, Randi, into her home. There Randi stayed from age 9 to 19. From age 56-66 Else
did all the mom stuff with love and care.
Retiring to what was her mother’s home in Factoryville, PA in 1999; she dove into the project
of fixing it up. She designed the entire layout for the renovation and enjoyed watching her
plans come to fruition. She created what she called her cozy nest. Here she enjoyed her
peace and quiet, until her grandkids and great grandkids came to visit. She welcomed the
chaos while they were there, but enjoyed calm serenity when they left. Being an only child,
she was amazed at having created such a large growing family. She remarked often how
blessed she was. In retirement Else got back to her artistic side painting Scandinavian
rosemaling patterns on wooden stools, trinket boxes and more. She also picked back up an
earlier skill of crocheting. All family members received their own afghan blanket. As the great
grandchildren came along they each got a blankee and various little critters, like monkeys.
Else is survived by two of her three children, daughters Marcy Farrell (Jack) of Ridgewood,
NJ, and Lisa Logan Clough of Factoryville, PA. She is predeceased by her son, Martin Logan
as well as her former husband, James Logan, with whom she had her three children. She is
also survived by 7 grandchildren: Randi of Rural Retreat, VA, Katie (husband Josh) of
Belmont, NC, Christopher (wife Tracey) of Wayne, NJ, Jessica (husband Chris) of Marana, AZ,
Jack of Nyack, NY, Kevin of Alameda, CA and Mary of Factoryville. She was blessed with 6
great grandchildren, Karis, Cayden, Jameson, Sawyer, Logan and Luke.Else is predeceased by

three half sisters from other marriages of her father, Fritz Olofson. From his 2nd marriage – Alva

and Ruth, daughters of Selma Dahlstrom. And from his first marriage in Sweden, Elsa,

daughter of Anna Kropp.

Else’s family would like to thank the nurses from Sacred Heart Hospice and all the daytime
caregivers from Allied Services In Home for keeping Else comfortable and well cared for at
home in her last months. A special thank you to one of Else’s caregivers, Kami, who spent
many, many hours lovingly tending to her needs and keeping Lisa sane.
A celebration of Else’s life will be held with family in New Jersey at a time to be determined.