Elsie Coudron, 100
Elsie Naomi was born January 26, 1921 to Anna (Carlson) Robertson and John Alfred Robertson on the farm near Clementson, Minnesota. Elsie was the last of seven daughters and one brother. She grew up on that farm until her dad said it was time to go learn a trade, which she thought would be nursing like two of her older sisters. She drove out to San Diego to meet up with her older sister to start her training but at that time World War II had started so they said because she was a farm girl from Minnesota she had to become a welder! Naturally, this took her by surprise but she still managed to become the number one heliarc welder in California where she was even asked to speak to a group of trainees on how to successfully produce exhaust manifolds for airplanes. While working at ROHR aircraft, she met Lloyd Paul and they were later married. They began their short life together working in California, Washington and Minnesota. Lloyd and Elsie traveled to Baudette, Minnesota as her mother’s health was failing. It was there they started their first restaurant and her only son David was born. After several years, Elsie’s mother died and her dad said, “I’m okay, go and seek your fortune!” They traveled to Marshall just after the flood of 1957 and opened the Steak House on Main Street. After a short time, her husband fell ill and went back to California in hopes of a cure. Shortly after, Lloyd succumbed to his illness and died. Elsie then purchased the Club 59 south of Marshall and operated it until her retirement and marriage to Emil Coudron in 1973. Together, they traveled in the winters to Arizona and Nevada to visit friends and relatives. Elsie lost her second husband, Emil Coudron, to a stroke and other complications. Not one to sit still for very long, she was asked to come back and help with the operations of Club 59, which she gladly did for many years before going to the Gambler to cook meals there. When 92, she lost her balance while feeding her birds on the Coudron farm and went to live with her son David and daughter-in-law Roxanne in Little Falls, Minnesota. She was hospitalized with COVID-19 and passed from complications on November 22, 2020. Elsie is survived by her son David and daughter-in-law Roxanne (Giese) Paul. She was proceeded in death by her mother, father, all her sisters and her brother. Funeral services will be held on June 5 at 11:00 a.m. at the Clementson Lutheran Church. In lieu of flowers, donations are prefered to the Lake of the Woods Humane Society.
