Elsa Marston Harik

1933 - 2017

Elsa Marston Harik obituary, 1933-2017, Bloomington, IN

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Bloomington, Indiana

Elsa Harik Obituary

Published by Legacy Remembers on Feb. 17, 2017.

Elsa Marston Harik, 83, died at home on February 16 , 2017 after a brave two-year battle with cancer. At the end, as in life, she was surrounded by friends, family, her two cats, and many manuscripts.

Elsa was born in 1933 to Everett and Harriet Marston and grew up in the Boston area. Her father's English students from Northeastern University would often come by the house, making a strong impression on her romantic spirit, particularly the dashing jazz critic Nat Hentoff. She attended Vassar and Iowa as an undergrad, and then did her Masters in International Relations at Harvard before packing up a steamer trunk and sailing alone to Beirut on a Rotary Fellowship. There she met her future husband, Iliya Harik, and began a life that revolved for 60 years around the Middle East.

After years in London and at the University of Chicago, the couple settled in Bloomington in the mid-60s, where they raised their sons Ramsay, Amahl, and Raif. Frequent sabbaticals took them to Cairo, Beirut, Morocco, Tunisia, and Ithaca (New York). She relished the encounter with the culture and politics of each destination, producing at every step works of art and literature that still adorn her Bloomington home.

A dyed-in-the-wool New Englander, Elsa nonetheless made a good home here in the Midwest, contributing to Bloomington's civic life at many levels. She was a founding member of Citizens for Jail Improvement (later CJAM), and was involved in the Women's League of Voters, the Arab-American Association, and Rotary. A fierce tennis competitor, she was active on the court until 2015. Most especially, though, Elsa was a writer.

Elsa's published work ranges from whimsical picture books such as Cynthia and The Runaway Gazebo, to remarkably well-researched work on the pharaohs, to young adult fiction about the Middle East. Two books in particular gave her great satisfaction: the award-winning Santa Claus in Baghdad, which was made into a film in 2008, and I Just Kept Walking, about Bloomington's own Morgan Scherer and his fund-raising walk to aid the Congo. Elsa's great passion was to bring to young American readers some badly-needed understanding of the lives of their peers in the Middle East.

Perhaps somewhat quixotically, Elsa held dear the hope that by offering Americans a view of life in the Middle East "behind the headlines," she would help disrupt stereotypical views of Arabs and contribute to a more enlightened engagement with that part of the world. She was particularly committed to publicizing the plight of the Palestinian people, whose warmth and humanity never failed to move her in her many visits to Palestine. Her writing, and her activism, continue to touch the lives of many.

Elsa leaves behind three loving sons, Ramsay, Amahl, and Raif, and two grandchildren, Savannah and Kahlil Harik. She is survived by her sister Lee, and her sisters-in-law Fadia, Laura, Ilham, and Angele. She will be interred in Dhour Schweir, Lebanon, alongside her husband, facing east toward Mount Lebanon.

A celebration of life will be scheduled later this year. Donations in her memory may be made to one of her favorite charities, Cat Lovers Against The Bomb (Nebraskans for Peace), an organization whose humor, feline inclinations, and deep humanity nicely capture the Elsa we knew and loved.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Memories and Condolences
for Elsa Harik

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Not sure what to say?

October 21, 2017

Dear Ramsay, Though we only knew Elsa in the latter years of her life, she was a profound inspiration for us her critical insights, her wisdom, and her unwavering dedication to principles. We consider it a truly extraordinary privilege to have known her. And, to you, Ramsay, your devoted care of your mother throughout this difficult time was exceptional; we appreciate the sacrifices you made to assist her as she continued to labor in the fields of honesty and integrity and to remain active in her role as a leading member of this community and an influence internationally.

Beverly Stoeltje and Dick Bauman

February 24, 2017

Dear Ramsay, I was so sorry to read about your mother's passing. She was an amazing woman whom I greatly admired. My thoughts for remembrance and comfort are with you and your family.
Paula Gordon

February 22, 2017

Christine Kohler

Elsa was my friend and she will be greatly missed. Her writings, such as The Compassionate Warrior-Abd El-Kader of Algeria, filled holes in the canon of children's literature. I greatly admired Elsa and her work with children's lit in the Middle East. She had one of the finest minds I've met and I loved hearing her intelligent, compassionate view on people and situations.

February 22, 2017

Alexis O'Neill

We have lost a caring, expressive voice in the children's literature community. But her works will continue to speak for her and what she believed in. Our hearts are with Elsa's family.

February 22, 2017

April Sayre

Elsa was such a wonderful voice as a writer and humanitarian. She was a loving, caring colleague and so encouraged many of her fellow writers in Indiana. She will be very missed by our state and the greater community of children's book authors.

February 22, 2017

Salih and Amal Altoma

Dear Ramsay,

Amal and are deeply saddened by the news of Elsa's passing. It's a loss not only for our community but for many other marginalized ethnic or religious groups or causes Elsa has defended with courage and eloquence. . As an American Elsa represented the best of the qualities of what a true American means, and as a concerned writer, Elsa consistently sought to promote a better understanding of less known peoples and cultures. She will be missed in many ways by all who knew her in our community and beyond including readers who were enlightened and inspired by her writings.

Please accept our condolences and deepest sympathies to you, your immediate family and to Elsa's sister, and please let us know how we can be of service at this difficult and painful time.

February 21, 2017

Natalie Blais

Dear Ramsay, Amahl and Raif,

I am both honored and blessed to have known your mother, and am truly sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this most difficult time.

February 21, 2017

Vincent Desjardins

Dear Ramsey, Amal and Raif,
I was deeply saddened to hear about your mother's death. She was an amazing person and I feel honored that I got to know her. Shortly after I moved to Bloomington, and started to look for ways to connect with other children's book people, she reached out to me and invited me to join the children's book writers critique group that she belonged to. Through her invitation to join her group, I met some wonderful people and I got to know Elsa. From the beginning I was in awe of her vitality, her humor, her directness and her sometimes off-the-wall observations. Elsa was always supportive of my work and offered me encouragement at times when I needed it the most. The critique sessions that I experienced with her have already become some of my fondest memories of my years in Bloomington. I admired her greatly for the work she was doing to bridge gaps between cultures and for the bravery she showed in her travels (I'll never forget the story she told about being tear-gassed while participating in a peaceful demonstration). This world would be a lot better off if only there were more people in it like your mother. My sympathies and condolences go out to you and your families.

February 21, 2017

Bonnie Martin, Grace Yedlicka

Dear Ramsey, Amal and Raif,
It was an honor and a pleasure to care for your amazing mother. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this time.

February 21, 2017

Raouf Zaki

She was a great woman. She will always be remembered for her wonderful heartfelt writing and the characters she so vividly loved in fiction and in life. We will miss you dearly.

February 21, 2017

Dear Ramsey, Amahl and Raif,
We send our deepest sympathy and condolences on Elsa's death. She was a strong and many talented woman and a prolific writer whose works made a difference.
Hasan and Susan El-Shamy

February 20, 2017

Loubna El Amine

I will always remember auntie Elsa as being the first, together with Ammo Iliya, to welcome me into the United States. They picked me up from Indianapolis, drove me down through some back, green, roads to Bloomington, and opened their house for me. They provided me with me with my first thanksgiving experience, and my first, sweet memories of America. My condolences to Ram, Amahl, Raif, Savannah, and Kahlil... she will live on through you.

February 20, 2017

Jim and Beth Silberstein

Ramsey (and family), we are so sorry for your loss. Your Mother lived a very full and purposeful life that inspires us all. We wish you well as you begin your healing.

February 20, 2017

Dick and Susie Stryker

Dear Ramsey, Amahl and Raif:

We are thinking of all of you as we mourn the passing of dear Elsa. We loved Elsa and Iliya from our first days in Bloomington (in 1970) and enjoyed their friendship all these years. We also enjoyed watching you three boys grow up into such superb young men and are proud to count all of you as our friends too. Bastille Day was one of the annual highlights which your parents created at home in Bloomington and which remains a special memory. We hope to be at home whenever you plan a memorial service for Elsa.

warm regards,

Dick and Susie Stryker

February 20, 2017

Teri Wade, RN

It was a pleasure and honor to meet Elsa and get to know her. She was a strong, beautiful and dynamic woman with varied talents. My thoughts are with you at this time.

February 19, 2017

Dear Ramsay, I send you my thoughts and sympathy on Elsa's death. I knew that she was an extraordinary person, but I've now learned even more about her accomplishments. What an inspiration she was to writing women; and what wonderful books she wrote. She had a special presence about her. 18 months ago I was lucky enough to be in a writing course with her, so got to hear some of her work-in-progress. Her writing voice will be much missed.

February 19, 2017

Cleve Wilhoit

Bloomington, IN
February 19, 2017

Bastille Day each July was a highlight for the many friends of Elsa Marston Harik in earlier years because it was the time of wonderfully festive parties hosted with her late-husband Iliya Harik in the expansive backyard of their Bloomington home. The aroma of a great variety of Middle Eastern cuisine and other international flavors was exceeded only by the diversity of the interesting guests. For many of the privileged attendees, however, it is likely that two remarkable voices, those of Elsa and Iliya -- always highly informed and inquiring -- accent our priceless memories of those occasions.

It is the distinctively lovely voice of Elsa Marston Harik that we now celebrate. Hers is a voice that will not die, as it lives in the lines of her significant writing as well as in the memories of all who survive her. It was a most-calm voice, marked by uncommon intellectual depth and moral clarity. Hers was a voice that inspired awe at the character possessed by the woman who was its "author."

Indelible now is my last gift of her presence, at a holiday party at the close of 2016. Sitting very close -- her voice by then had lost some of its volume, but not its power -- I didn't want to miss a word. She spoke lovingly of her three sons and told me of the plot for another book she was imagining for children. And, she took delight when I told her my grandson's favorite book was her last, "The Olive Tree."

As her voice weakened that holiday evening, I drew even closer, saying, "Oh Elsa, I hope you are not offended by my leaning so close." Her reply, sweetly but without hesitation: "It is a little unusual."

Unusual. An important, distinctive word, but hardly sufficient to describe the woman whose life made such a difference to so many, in Bloomington and throughout the world.

For Elsa Marston Harik's fine sons -- Ramsay, Amahl, and Raif -- the joys and inspiration from the stellar life of their mother surely will sustain them now, and for the rest of their lives.

February 19, 2017

Linda (Luca) Scott

Raif (and family),
I would like to offer my condolences for your mother's passing. I first met her when you were at Batchelor and continued to run into her at various times and places in the community. She did a lot for Bloomington, and she will be missed.

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