DEBLAUWE, Elisa, October 10, 1929 – April 23, 2018.
Elisa Maria (Van Vreckem) Deblauwe passed away on Monday, April 23, 2018 in Sunnyvale, California.  She is the widow to her husband of 54 years, Claude, and is survived by her two children, Claudette (MacMillan) and her husband Bruce, and Tony and his wife, Roxanne (Lindsay). Elisa was not just a devoted mother and wife, she was an entrepreneur, business maker, and couture fashion designer who was generous and well loved by everyone she met. She was a strong-willed individual, a strong female symbol, and compassionate human being.

Elisa was born in Belgium where she learned the fashion trade eventually apprenticing to become a couture seamstress and master tailor. She survived WWII where as a child she witnessed both the march of Nazi soldiers in her neighborhood as well as the American B-52 warplanes as they headed to Berlin to end the war.  The second oldest of four, her parents owned a general store where she learned the discipline of business and the hard work that came with being an owner. Together with her trade skills, her journey brought her to the United States in the early sixties where she settled in Chicago, working for Martha Wethered, one of the biggest fashion importers of the time. In Chicago is where friends introduced her to another fellow Belgian, Claude Deblauwe, who she would eventually marry.

Claude's work brought them to San Francisco where Claudette was born and then to Minnesota where Tony was born.  The bitter Minnesota cold was challenging but did not deter her from getting involved in the community as an usher for the community Song of Norway production and as a part-time fashion design teacher at St. Olaf College where Claude was teaching. Eventually the family moved back to California where the next significant part of her life took place when she started working at the famous Joseph Magnin clothing retailer. Her fashion experience and business sense allowed her to quickly progress through the ranks of various store and alterations management roles at retail giants like I. Magnin, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus to name a few. She was better known to her business circle as 'Miss Elisa' a great sign of the respect and grace that embodied her every move. Never one to stay still for long, after her career in retail, she transitioned into fashion consulting. Her expertise was well known and in demand in San Francisco socialite circles. Many of the gowns photographed at the opening of the Opera, Symphony and other major events were touched by Elisa's hands.

The family moved to Cupertino, California in the early 1970s when Elisa became the store manager at the Joseph Magnin store in Stanford Shopping Center.  This home became the foundation for the family. Elisa loved helping others and providing for her children. She knew how to organize epic parties and was the consummate hostess. Of course, Elisa would view her children as her greatest accomplishment and is very proud of how they are using the gifts she passed on to them. While the family is deeply saddened by the loss of Elisa, they know she is now designing with the history's greatest Ateliers in Heaven.  A special service will be held from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. with burial at 11:00 a.m. on May 1, 2018 at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, All Saints Chapel, 22555 Cristo Rey Drive, Los Altos, CA.  As expressions of sympathy, in lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate consideration of a donation in Elisa's name to the Alzheimer's Association at: www.alz.org