Kathleen "Kathy" Elsner

Kathy (sometimes known as Irene, Renee and Sasha) Elsner, 42, of the Isle of Palms, South Carolina, passed away on Sunday, December 8, 2013. Our profound grief is only consoled by the acknowledgement of her contribution to the lives of all she touched – her husband Michael E. Elsner and two children Silas and Tatum especially.

Her funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, December 17, 2013 in Stella Maris Catholic Church, 1204 Middle Street, Sullivan's Island. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 604 Fort Johnson Rd., James Island. The family will receive friends Monday, December 16, 2013 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Cooper River Room at the Mt. Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park, 99 Henry M. Hallman Blvd. Arrangements by J. HENRY STUHR, INC. MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL.

Kathy was born October 10, 1971 in Portsmouth, Virginia, daughter of William Donald and Elizabeth Ann Merryfield Keener both of whom she adored. Kathy was the youngest of five girls with whom she shared many of the best moments of her life. She constantly dazzled everyone she met with her remarkable wit, sense of humor and generosity. She found the fun in life—usually by creating it herself.

Kathy firmly believed that the world needed an advocate to stand for what was right and to lift others up. And lift she did. She preferred to express herself through determination and action—"Just get it done!" She was a founding board member of YEScarolina – a youth entrepreneurship charity dedicated to providing paths of economic, personal and community growth through education. There, she initiated and coordinated fundraising events and served as its counsel.

Sharing in the fight against breast cancer, she was the leader of Team Elsner for the Susan B. Komen Lowcountry Race for the Cure. A cause she felt passionately about and for which she won the largest community team and top fundraising award. Her motto, "Cancer Picked a Fight with the Wrong Girl" continues to inspire us to match her courage and fight.

Kathy was a proud recipient of the Woodrow Wilson Motley Spirit Award for her unwavering courage, indomitable spirit and amazing attitude. Kathy was honored by YEScarolina's creation of the Kathy Elsner Spirit Scholarship which will be awarded each year to assist a YEScarolina student to attend college.

Kathy was a graduate of Green Run High School, class of 1989, and Old Dominion University. She attended the University of Memphis School of Law where she served on the Law Review and Moot Court Board. She was a proud recipient of the Justice Lewis Powell, Jr. Medal of Excellence in Trial Advocacy. Kathy was a member of the Virginia, New York and South Carolina Bar Associations. She was an accomplished intellectual property lawyer having begun her career at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington, DC. While working, she earned an LLM in intellectual property from George Washington University Law School. She then worked in the New York office of Morgan, Lewis and Bockius before relocating to Charleston in 2002. In recent years, she taught an intellectual property law course at the Charleston School of Law and represented select clients.

Kathy lived life with passion, loved to travel, especially to Paris, and to entertain and laugh with friends. Her greatest loves, Silas and Tatum, miss her snuggle butts, dance parties and crazy. She was a devoted and loving wife who for 15 years led Mike laughingly, except when swimming with great white sharks, through one grand adventure to the next.

She is survived by her husband, Michael E. Elsner; her children, Silas E. Elsner and Tatum E. Elsner; her sisters: Eileen Carpenter and husband, Jeff, of Norfolk, VA, Linda A. Buescher and husband, Mike, Karen L. Spencer and husband, John, and Deborah J. Gonzalez, all of Virginia Beach, VA; her nephew, William C. Spencer; and her nieces: Mallory E. Spencer, Macy P. Spencer, Ivy E. Carpenter and Jamie E. Gonzalez; and countless friends and admirers.

Memorials may be made to YEScarolina (Kathy Elsner Spirit Scholarship), P.O. Box 210, Charleston, SC 29402 (www.yescarolina.com) or Team Elsner Susan B. Komen Lowcountry Race for the Cure, 9300 Medical Plaza Drive, Suite F, North Charleston, SC 29406 (www.komenlowcountry.org).

The family is collecting stories about Kathy for Silas and Tatum. They may be sent to 28 Bridgeside Blvd., Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464, attention Kathy Elsner Stories or e-mailed to: KathyElsnerStories@gmail.com.