Ellen Dixon Bennett, age 86, died at Manor by the Sea in Ocean Grove, New Jersey on November 12, 2011.
Ellen was born October 31, 1925 in New York, New York to the late Charles Waterbury Bennett II and Dorothy Dixon Keyser. She attended Hunter College, graduating in 1946. She taught and coached various sports at Brooklyn Friends School from 1950 until 1970, where she departed as the Girls’ Athletic Director. Ellen then taught at Nightingale-Bamford School in New York City, one of the top private schools in the country. Even after retiring, Ellen continued to devote her time to Nightingale-Bamford, volunteering in the library until 2006.
Ellen shared her time between her Upper East Side Manhattan apartment and her beach home in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. She was a lover of family history, tracing her lineage to the Revolutionary War through at least Pvt. Samuel Bennett of Monmouth, New Jersey. An avid traveler, she visited Jerusalem and Belgium in recent years. Ellen also enjoyed playing the violin and piano, but especially lifting her alto voice to God in the choirs of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association and the Rock Church, where she was a long-time and well-beloved member. Above all else, Ellen was a tireless student of scripture and servant of God.
Ellen is survived by her brother Charles Waterbury Bennett III, Staten Island, NY; niece Evangeline Fitzpatrick, Alameda, CA; and nephews Cameron Bennett, Manchester, NH, and Gregory Bennett, Alexandria, VA. Ellen also leaves behind her dear friend Anna Nichols of Ocean Grove, her beloved friends in Manhattan and Ocean Grove and the thousands of students and coworkers for whom she had such great affection and who remember her as a generous, amazing woman—one of a kind.
Please join us at Ellen’s viewing beginning at 11 a.m. Thursday, November 17 at Chas. Peter Nagel Funeral Home, 352 East 87th Street, New York, NY 10128. Senior Pastor Reverend Roger Casey will lead funeral services at 1 p.m. at Rock Church, 153 East 62nd Street, New York, NY 10065. She will be interred in the Keyser family plot in Saint John’s Cemetery (enter through the Oakland Cemetery gates), 2 Saw Mill River Road, Yonkers, New York 10701.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, 54 Pitman Avenue, Ocean Grove, NJ 07756 or Rock Church at the above address.
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Ellen was a very special woman and is recalled fondly by her former students and colleagues. Over my years in this position, I've had her former students, now grown women (often in or nearing retirement) tell me with a sense of wonder and awe, "Miss Bennett was my first idol," how much they appreciated early morning Bible study with her, or just that she was simply terrific. My few experiences with Ellen were wonderful, and I learned quickly that she was an inspiration on so many levels. All of us at Brooklyn Friends School are thinking of Ellen and her family and please know we are with you in spirit.
Susan Price '86
Director of Alumni/ae
Brooklyn Friends School
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Miss B. volunteered for over 12 years in the library of Nightingale-Bamford School, where she had taught for over two decades. She was an institution at the check-out desk in the Lower School, where she tirelessly checked out the books to all of the students, often noting that she had taught their mothers too! She was devoted to the girls and to the school. She was also in charge of overdue books, and tracked down all our lost books without fail. She knew Nightingale inside and out and everyone knew her. On her birthdays, the entire Lower School would always make her a BIG card and everyone gathered to sing Happy Birthday - ALL 250 of them! Until she left Nightingale, regardless of her health, she never missed going to the yearly graduations, where she took notes and sent congratulation cards to many of the students that won awards. She was a tireless cheerleader for the sports teams and enjoyed hearing about the badminton team. Out of love for Nightingale, she gave her time and energy to helping the next generation of girls get off to a good start.
Lois Strell
Lower School Librarian
The Nightingale-Bamford School
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