AUBURN – Elena Robitzek died on Saturday, July 15, at the Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice.

She was born Elena Messuri on City Island in the Bronx, N.Y., in 1915, attended College of New Rochelle in the 1930s and married David V. Robitzek in 1936. Elena graduated from Fordham University in 1960 with a master’s degree in education. Before retiring in 1976, she was a supervisor with the New York City Board of Education.

Known for her smart wardrobe, long red fingernails and ever-present cigarettes, she still considered herself a “glamour puss,” even into her 90s.

After her husband’s death in 2000, she moved to Auburn, taking up residence at Schooner Estates near the home of her son, Bill, his wife, Barbara, and their daughter, Laura. Her declining health required a move to the Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice in late June, where the gracious staff cared for her until her death.

She is survived by her three children, Betty Walbridge of Palm Desert, Calif., Stephanie Spadaccini of Fairfax, Calif., and William Robitzek of Auburn. She will also be missed by her eight grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

She was predeceased by sisters, Mai di Valentin and Esther Robitzek; and brother, Tony Messuri.