Ellen Elizabeth Douglass

Ellen Elizabeth Douglass, 87, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt, died of natural causes in her sleep at home in Bend, Oregon on Monday, June 7th, 2021.

Ellen was born on January 28th, 1934 to parents Raymond and Madeline Scott in Mt. Kisco, New York.  After graduating from Garden City High School in 1952, she moved to Manhattan to pursue her interest in fashion and design.

She graduated from the New York Fashion Academy in 1955 and worked for a decade in the garment district in New York City in various roles within the fashion industry.

In January, 1965, she met Norman Douglass and they were married later that year on December 15th, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. Ellen and Norman went on to have four children, Sarah, Scott, Steven, and Samuel.

After the birth of their first child, Ellen and Norman moved to West Hartford, CT where they raised their four children.  There, she developed a keen interest in gardening, both at home, in community plots, and with the Mountain Valley Garden Club. A lifelong Catholic, she was also active in her faith community, serving on the St. Helena’s Women’s Guild for many years.  A voracious reader with a curious mind, she amassed an impressive library of books and pursued a wide variety of interests.  She was a lifetime lover of music, which she enjoyed in many ways, whether it was singing along with her husband playing piano at home, listening to classical music, attending the symphony and opera, and later in life taking up the ukulele.

She had an equal appreciation for fine art and the Marx Brothers and imparted in her children both a love of culture and an ability to find joy and relief through humor, be it broad or refined.

Although she transitioned from city life to suburban life, she never lost her artistic bent and continued to produce art throughout her life, most especially in her later years with her rich series of arranged dry flower compositions, many of which were created using flowers from her own garden.

She enjoyed travel and adventure, taking her first trip abroad with her mother on an ocean liner while in her 20s. Later, she and her husband travelled extensively including several trips to Europe as well as trips to China and across the US.

Ellen is predeceased by her parents and her cousin, Jane Snow. She is survived by her husband, Norman Douglass; her four children, Sarah Douglass, Scott Douglass, Steven Douglass, and Samuel Douglass; her four grandchildren, Henry Jones, Caroline Jones, Blaise Douglass, and Frederick Douglass; her sister, Madeline McDowell; and her niece Mace Marx and nephews Mark McDowell and George McDowell.

Family & Friends are invited to join the immediate family for a visitation at the Ballard Durand Funeral Home in White Plains, NY at 12:00 pm on Saturday, June 26th.  At 1:00 we will process to the nearby Kensico Cemetery for the burial service.  Due to COVID restrictions, we are unable to provide open food but will be offering sack lunches to all who attend. If you would like to contribute to the memorial, the family requests donations be made to Doctors Without Borders, a charitable organization that Ellen supported for many years.