Elys attended grade school at District 118, on-quarter mile north and one mile west of her home. Following her grade school graduation, Elys attended WHS, graduating in 1947. During some of these years, she stayed with the Anna and Norris Nordstrom family, two blocks north of the Commercial Bank. While in high school, Elys worked Saturdays at Shellhammer Produce, and then at Prather's ice Cream Parlor. About this time, Elton nicknamed her "Nels", and she is still called Nel today, by many that know her.

Following high school, Elys attended Wayne State Teachers College one year, then spent a year with her best friend and cousin, Ardythe Greenwall, in Medford, OR. While there, she worked as a telephone operator. In San Francisco, on her way home to Nebraska for Christmas, Elys met her future husband, Francis W. Grantz, while attending a Young Adults Fellowship at the Covenant Church.

Prior to attending North Park College in Chicago in 1949, Elys worked at Anderson Store. During these years, six of the Greenwall cousins worked there for Delwyn Anderson: Elaine, Eva Mae, Ardythe, Marilyn, Lois and Elys.

On 1-19-1951, Rev. Ed Mattson married Elys to Francis Wilbur Grantz from San Francisco, at the Covenant Church. Fran was a student at North Park Seminary and serving his internship at Conover, WI, where the newlyweds made their first home.

Four children were born into this family: Theodore Francis, 12-9-1951; Timothy Lee, 9-24-1953; Thomas Elton, 12-20-1956; and Cynthia Lois, 10-15-1958.

After Seminary graduation in 1954, the family moved to DuBois, PA, where Fran served as Covenant pastor. In 1958, they moved to Pomeroy, IA. Following nine years ministering at the Covenant Church in rural Iowa, the family moved to Sioux City, IA, and in 1969, located to Ballwin, MO., a suburb of St. Louis, where the Covenant Church establishing a new Home Mission work.

Fran was a Management Consultant with the Grantz and Associated; his own company, and Minister at the United Church of Christ in rural Labadie, MO. Fran passed away June 8, 2000. Elys works part-time at a dress shop. The children are all well established in their own professions. Ted is living in New Port Richey, FL, with his wife, Zaida, and his wife, Pam and Cindy, with her husband, Don are living in Ballwin. Tom also lives nearby in the same suburb.