Elsie was born on September 21, 1932 to John and Helen Kubrak. Her parents had immigrated to Canada from their homeland of Ukraine in search of a better life for themselves and their children. Many times in her youth, Elsie had to overcome barriers that young Ukrainian women faced growing up in that era. She demonstrated her great perseverance and determination by becoming one of the first women from Vegreville’s Ukrainian community to be accepted into University and earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Home Economics from the University of Manitoba. In June 1958, Elsie married Mike William Kawulych at the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Vegreville. Elsie received the Alberta Order of Excellence and induction into the Order of Canada. Through her establishment of an endowment for undergraduate and graduate students from the Kule Folklore Centre at the University of Alberta, she has found a way to help build capacity and support for future ground breaking research and for students expanding their knowledge and skills in Ukrainian & Canadian folklore studies. In 2019, she received an Award for philanthropy, in the Education category, for the Association of Fundraising Professionals Edmonton & Area Chapter.