Elsie Hosking Straight, 101, passed away on January 6, 2016, while residing at Alabama Oaks Assisted Living Facility in Winter Park, Florida. Prior to moving to the Orlando area, Elsie was a long time resident of Sarasota, Florida.

Elsie was born on October 9, 1914 in Whitehaven, England just after the start of World War I. When she was seven years old, Elsie immigrated to the United States with her parents Thomas and Anne (Molyneaux) Hosking and her brother Herbert. The family settled in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school, Elsie attended the Pittsburgh Institute of Art and the New York School of Applied Design, later finding employment as a studio photographer. Her job as a photographer brought her to Portland, Maine where she met Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer John "Clarke" Straight. They were married in January of 1944. Following Clarke's service in World War II, the couple moved to Attleboro, Massachusetts where they raised a daughter, Elaine. In the 1960s the family relocated to Little Compton, Rhode Island, where Elsie returned to school, receiving her bachelor's degree from Roger Williams College and her master's degree in Library Science from the University of Rhode Island. Elsie then moved to Sarasota, Florida and took a job as a librarian at the Ringling School of Art.

Ever the artist, Elsie spent her free time painting in oils and watercolors, designing jewelry, and creating sculptures in bronze, clay, and marble. In 2003 at the age of 89, Elsie published a novel, Between the Dark and the Daylight. Elsie also loved to travel throughout the United States and the world, visiting countries such as Greece, Egypt, Italy, Spain and Peru.

Elsie is survived by her daughter Elaine W. Sanders and her son-in-law, John T. Sanders, of Orlando, Florida; her grandson Jeremy R. Sanders, of Washington, D.C., and several nieces and nephews. Elsie was a lover of animals, so in lieu of flowers, she would ask that a donation be made to your local animal rescue charity.