Elsie B. Anderson was born in 1925 in Providence, Rhode Island to Frida Nisson Anderson, a cook, and Ossian Anderson, a machinist, both natives of Sweden. Her sister Doris Anderson Landau '49 also attended Pembroke College. Prior to matriculating at Pembroke, Anderson attended Aldrich High School in Warwick, Rhode Island, and the University of Rhode Island (1942-1943). At Pembroke, she studied nursing in a joint program with the Rhode Island Hospital School of Nursing (1943-1947), earning a bachelor's degree and professional diploma. In 1950, she married William J. Lewis, a customer relations executive at Narragansett Electric Company, with whom she had two children. During her career as a nurse educator, Anderson taught at the Rhode Island School of Nursing (1947-1972) and the Community College of Rhode Island. She also worked as an "expert witness," independently reviewing medical malpractice cases. In 1982, Anderson received a Master's degree in education from Rhode Island College.