Elise Martin Crosby was born the third child to Susan Lee Nichols Crosby and Benjamin Gratz Crosby III. Although she was the third child, she was their first girl. She spent many days of her childhood playing with her two older brothers, Alex and Rick - but was mostly known to be a very quiet young girl who often sat patiently waiting her turn. Her sweet and shy nature earned her the childhood nickname of "Muffie" after the story character, Little Miss Muffet.

Being the child of a military father, she and her family moved often during her younger days. Eventually, after the separation of her parents, Elise and her family settled in Durham, New Hampshire where she attended Oyster River High School. She graduated high school with the Class of 1983 and went on to pursue her Associate's Degree at The Thompson School of Applied Science at the University of New Hampshire (UNH).While at The Thompson School, she lived and worked at a farm owned and operated by UNH, known as the Highland House. Elise loved it there, as she had always been a devoted animal lover. She was an excellent horseback rider and had a very gentle way with all the animals at the farm. In 1986 she completed her studies at The Thompson School, and received her Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management.

Shortly thereafter, she began working for the Marriot Corporation where she worked for several years in both Connecticut and Massachusetts. It was during this time that she met the man that would later become her husband and abuser. At the time of their marriage, several of her family members were not pleased with her decision, yet all wanted to support her, and prayed the relationship would be what Elise had hoped for. It was her first and only serious relationship.

Elise continued working in the hotel and restaurant business for a few more years, until she became anxious for a new challenge. In 1992, Elise enlisted in the Navy and charged off to boot camp in Florida. She excelled at boot camp and became self-inspired each day as she overcame both physical and mental challenges. She completed boot camp successfully and received her first assignment in New Orleans, LA. Later she attended air traffic control school in Tennessee. Elise was incredibly disciplined and focused on her studies. She was very interested in the material she was studying and felt she had found her calling. She graduated from air traffic control school with the highest grades of any graduate in the previous decade of the school. At her graduation, she was given enormous recognition and several honors.

After finishing ATC school, she was posted at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach, VA. Elise was quite excited about the position and worked diligently to earn her rating as an air traffic controller. Elise was still working hard towards this goal when she became a fatal victim of domestic violence on May 14, 1996, suffering numerous stab wounds at the hands of her abuser. Elise suffered seven years as a victim of domestic violence never speaking a word of it to her family.

It is in her memory that The Elise Martin Crosby Scholarship Fund operates in order to prevent the same fate from happening to other victims of domestic violence.

The Elise Martin Crosby Scholarship Fund is a registered 501 (c)(3) organization, donations are tax deductible.