MIAMI - WE NEED YOUR HELP to pass the street naming in the County Commission. The State has already approved it and now we just need the County to pass the street naming for Mama Elsa  

Elsa Cristina Patton, born in Varadero, Cuba, came to the US at the tender age of 19 years young to pursue her studies at the University of Miami, yet the world would come to know her as “Mama Elsa” on Bravo’s hit TV reality series "The Real Housewives of Miami” (RHOM). Mama Elsa, as her fans nicknamed her, first appeared on the reality series next to her beloved daughter, Marysol Patton, one of the leading ladies of RHOM. Mama Elsa truly became a TV icon as she was not only loved by fans, but still to this day remembered through her antics and wild catchphrases that are still used as memes today all-over social media. The world has not forgotten her… and neither should Miami.

Her larger-than-life personality and the incredibly unique advice she would give on the show ultimately resulted in her own spinoff series, entitled "Havana Elsa," named after her very own Cuban espresso coffee brand. The show features Elsa as she embarks on a new (oftentimes hilarious) adventure -- starting her own line of coffee while she sells it all over Miami.

Elsa was well known for her psychic intuition and the wild advice she would give, but it was her kind heart and unwavering passion for animals that truly set her apart in the community. She lived in Coconut Grove for 30 years where she would rescue every abandoned animal she encountered. At one point the Patton family had 11 dogs. She rescued every breed and every size. Her daughter Marysol remembers, “one of mom’s favorites was a medium size blonde Shepard mix named Lola. I remember long after Lola had passed, mom’s caretaker, Mimi, found a dog that looked just like Lola in a church parking lot and when she brought her home to mom, mom started calling her Lola, but we ultimately named her Luna. I think over her lifespan mom must have saved over 100 dogs.”

She also loved living in her waterfront Coconut Grove estate. Her favorite part was having the manatees come over and say hi, or the potatoes as she would call them. She loved seeing the peacocks and was a staple at Le Bouchon and the Chart House.

And entertaining at home was always a passion of hers… from swanky parties and the who’s who showing up to those in the community who were less fortunate and didn’t have a family or a place to go to during the holidays. This was Elsa’s way of also giving back. She loved everyone and anyone and never judged or discriminated. She was a true pillar in her community. The myriad of people that came to love Elsa were from the likes of Madonna and the Estefan’s to the millions of fans that still call her Mama Elsa.

Mama Elsa is survived by her daughter Marysol Patton and her son Anthony Jones. She was married to Donald Patton, a world-renowned yacht builder and surveyor whom she shared 50 plus years of her life with.

On Mother’s Day weekend 2019 at the age of 84, Elsa passed away from a long battle with dementia.