Many thanks to everyone who attended Ella's memorial service, or sent their condolences.
The program for the service is available here.
Here are the texts of (most of) the speaker's remarks:
Denise Brown, director of the Montclair High School Dance Company where Ella danced all through High School, dedicated this year's performance to Ella - see the dedication in the program.
The Macalester Theatre and Dance Department Spring Concert Program also dedicated the performance to Ella, and donated proceeds to her fund.
Ella had her family family and she also had her farm family. For many years the farm families have spent a June weekend together on a Vermont dairy farm. Ella is the second to the youngest of the children and loved by all of us.
Our farm hosts, Beth and Bob remember Ella's delight in everything around her when she was at their farm. We all remember Ella playing with kittens, playing in the hay loft, swinging on the tire swing, jumping on the beds with the girls in the girls' room, hanging out on the porch reading, going for hikes, swimming and tubing on the river and of course riding her bike.
Ella brought her bike almost every year. Elaina remembers Ella wearing a dress while learning to ride a two-wheeler with training wheels. Ella had her own fashion sense that did not include socks. The group photo of the kids in 1998, the year of the 100-year flood shows all wearing socks except Ella. We also remember when Ella liked to wear her purple jumper every day. Ella created a school uniform from her favorite outfit.
Gary remembers a time he volunteered to stay home with the kids while the rest of the adults went out to eat. Ella would not go to sleep without her favorite lullaby, baa baa black sheep, and Gary was not singing it correctly. Long before we all had cell phones Gary had to track us down at the restaurant so that Judy could sing the song to Ella over the phone.
Over the years Barb gave all the kids driving lessons on the dirt roads at the farm. She remembers Ella approaching her lesson with timidity but when she got behind the wheel she was competent and confident doing many laps around the farm.
Like all of you, her farm family will always cherish memories of Ella.