Elsie F. Kanner, 88, a painter and sculptor who taught art in the Massapequa school system for 25 years, died March 2, 2007 at her home in Lido Beach after a stroke. She was born in Brooklyn as Elsie Frumkin on May 18, 1918. Her family, Russian immigrants, were in the women's clothing business. She was the first woman in her family to attend college, graduating from New York University in 1938. That same year, she wed S. Lee Kanner, beginning a marriage that would last for 69 years.

Her husband is retired as an editor with the New York Times. They lived in Massapequa from 1953 to 1999 before moving to Oakdale, then to Florida and finally to Lido Beach.

While raising their three children in Massapequa, she began working as a substitute teacher in 1956 in the local schools. Her ability impressed school officials, and within a year the district hired her as a full-time art teacher. She earned a master's degree in education in 1969 from Adelphi University. For most of her career she taught at the Alfred G. Berner High School, now a middle school. Her students included the actor Alec Baldwin.

Family members said her upbeat, can-do attitude encouraged both her own children and her art students to stretch their abilities and take on challenges in life. "She was ahead of her time as a woman who could balance an accomplished career with a rich family life," said one of her daughters, Ellen Kanner, a psychologist. "She had a generous, helping spirit." Many of her students stayed in touch with her long after they graduated, visiting her at home to show her their works and seek her mentoring, relatives recalled.

Well into her 80s, she remained a prolific painter and sculptor in a variety of styles, from realistic to abstract. During her career she studied under several noted artists, including James Carlin, Alfred Van Loen and Reuben Nakian.

She is survived by her husband; by her children, Andrea Wasserman of Lido Beach, Steven Kanner of Lincoln, MA, and Ellen Kanner of Huntington; by her brother, Jerry Frumkin of Potomac, MD; by seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and 10 nieces and nephews.

Her funeral took place on March 4 at Gutterman's Funeral Chapel in Woodbury, followed by burial in New Montefiore Cemetery in Farmingdale.