Ellen Sealy Dunn

Ellen is survived by her daughters Wendy Dunn and Heather Dunn Morenberg, sons-in-law Steve Morenberg and Mark Tramontozzi, four grandchildren: Max Morenberg, Laney Morenberg, Amy Tramontozzi and Caitlin Tramontozzi, and her brother John Sealy.

Ellen was born on July 26, 1940 in New York, and grew up in Mount Vernon, NY and Norwalk, Connecticut. She was the daughter of John and Helene Sealy, both deceased.

She received an associate’s degree from Westbrook College in Maine, and bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut. Following college, she began her adult life as the wife of Naval officer Robert Dunn. Despite being relocated every couple of years all across the U.S. (Oregon, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Virginia, South Carolina, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Connecticut), she raised her young family with a loving hand, often for months at a time on her own. Out of both creativity and necessity, she made her children’s clothes and halloween costumes in the early years. She even hand-sewed Christmas ornaments, which are still prized family possessions that adorn the tree every year.

As her daughters grew older, Ellen went back to school to get her master’s degree from Drexel University. She became an interior designer, working at several design firms in NJ and CT before eventually starting and running her own successful interior design business for many years. To her clients, she was a consummate professional with impeccable taste, not to mention a trusted confidante. For Ellen, interior design was a passion and she never truly retired – partly because her family, fond of receiving her pro bono services, wouldn’t let her.

Ellen’s design sense extended to fashion as well. She was a “style icon” according to her adoring granddaughters, and she greatly enjoyed shopping with them and her daughters, amassing more scarves than anyone really should.

Ellen treasured her friendships and loved meeting new people, often striking up conversations with strangers, brightening their day and hers. Without fail, Ellen was present for every major milestone in the lives of her children and grandchildren. There was no plane, train or bus ride too far. She was also highly present in their day-to-day lives, first in Connecticut with Max and Laney, and then in Virginia with Amy and Caitlin. She was a beloved fixture at their performances and athletic events, becoming everybody’s favorite Nana.

One of her favorite pastimes was losing card games to her very skilled granddaughters. She had a somewhat higher win rate at bridge, participating in several local groups and online tournaments, and recently attended “bridge bootcamp.” During COVID, her friends moved their bridge game online, and it became a big part of her routine, as she looked forward to the time when they could resume in-person meetings.

Finally, and perhaps most notably, Ellen was a superfan of the UCONN women’s basketball team, attending countless games at Gampel and around the country to cheer them on, and tuning in to every game on TV.

Ellen’s memorial service will be held on Sunday, January 8th, at 2 pm, at Murphy’s Funeral Home in Arlington, VA. Guests are invited to join family afterwards at the home of Wendy and Mark.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared below.