Ellen Opal Russell

Age 83, was born August 22, 1918 in Yakima, WA to Charles Daniel Coy and C. Laura Meek Wolfe. She passed away February 25, 2002 in Seattle, WA. Ellen attended elementary school in Yakima, WA and graduated from Yakima High School in 1934, at the age of 16. She attended Yakima Valley Junior College before transferring to the University of Washington. While at the UW she took courses in the Drama Department, acted in plays, and was the property mistress at the Langston Hughes Playhouse. She graduated at the age of 20, with a BA in Education in 1939. Following graduation, she taught in Mt. Vernon. In 1943 she met her future husband, Ellsworth ?Russ? Nichols Russell, a Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy. They met when Russ called for Ellen?s roommate to go dancing, when he found she wasn?t home, he invited Ellen to join him. They have always enjoyed dancing and socializing together. They were engaged in 1944 and married April 6, 1944. Because of his Naval career, they were forced to spend up to 18 months apart, while he was stationed in the South Pacific. To stay close, they would faithfully write letters and send photographs to each other. Ellen would frequently travel to one of his ports-of-call just to see him. She eventually joined him in Japan from 1950-1952, where the base authorities told her that she would be teaching American dependents on base and English as a second language to Japanese students in Yokosuka, Japan. They returned to Yakima in 1954. In 1955 they moved to Ephrata so that Russ could operate his credit bureau business.

Ellen continued her education at Central Washington College and earned her Masters of Education in 1957. Ellen remained a teacher through out the many transfers to different communities. She took a leave from teaching in 1960, when her daughter Ruth Ann was born. She wrote this poem for her daughter:

With Her Small Hand

With her small hand she?s changed our lives,

and made our dreams come true-

The dreams we never dared to dream,

of things we planned to do.

With her small hand she gave us faith,

To see tomorrow there,

A flame for all who wish to see,

In golden baby hair.

With her small hand she leads us now,

To hope with every day,

The world will somehow still have peace,

To brighten her small way.

She was a devoted mother and stayed home five years until Ruth Ann entered kindergarten. She remained active in the AAUW American Association of University Women where she held the office of president several times. While on hiatus, she co-authored a companion-teaching guide to ?Our Washington?. The guide was developed to assist teachers and encourage more involvement by students with state history. Ellen and Russ celebrated their 25 wedding anniversary in 1969.

In 1972, the family began the first of many cultural emersion vacations. Prior to departing on any trips, the family would study the language, cuisine, and history of the country they were to visit. Their first experience was a three-month trip to Europe. They also traveled to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Alaska. In 1979 they became ?Sno-Birds? and migrated south to Mesa, Arizona. For twelve years they commuted to and actively participated in their winter community in the Southwest.

While Ellen was a teacher at Grant Elementary School, the Ephrata Education Association honored her as Teacher of the Year 1980-1981. After Russ passed away on April 19, 1989, Ellen continued to explore different countries like China, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway and other European countries. She also began traveling to Elder Hostel programs throughout the United States.

Ellen sold her home in Ephrata and moved to Colonial Vista, a retirement community in Wenatchee, where she enjoyed the many activities provided there. Besides life-long learning and traveling, Ellen enjoyed bird watching, cooking and recipe collecting, and staying involved with her University Women?s Club socials. She remained an avid reader throughout her life.

She is survived by her daughter Ruth Ann Russell, an Oncology nurse in Seattle, WA and her first cousin Audrey Howard of Dayton, Ohio.