Elsie A. Durante

Elsie A. Durante, of Pleasnat Mount and formerly of Jackson, NJ, died Thursday morning at Ocean Medical Center, Brick, NJ. She was the wife of the late Joseph R. Durante who died December 4, 2006.

Born April 25, 1935, daughter of the late Hugo and Esther French Mattson. She was a member of St. James Church, Pleasant Mount, a graduate of NY public schools, a life member of AMVETS and was president of the auxiliary for a number of years, Jackson, NJ. She traveled all over the country bowling, and ran Bingo buses to Atlantic City. In 1951, at age 16 she was the Rodeo Queen at Madison Square Garden, where she would trick ride with horses with Roy Rogers, Buster Brown, and Dale Evans. She was known by the nickname, "El Bingo".

She is survived by 4 sons James, Honesdale, PA; Joseph, Jr., Jackson, NJ, John, Cummings, GA, and Jeff, Pleasant Mount, PA; a sister Betty Curley, Pleasant Mount; 11 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren; several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by two brothers Harold and Robert Mattson, and two sisters Helen and Ruth Mattson.

Funeral will be Monday at 9:30am from the Kevin M. Lesjack Funeral Home, 513 Main Street, Forest City, with Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00am in St. James Church, Pleasant Mount. Interment in St. James Cemetery, Pleasant Mount. Viewing on Sunday from 2 - 4 and 7 - 9.

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