• Courtesy
• Elinor Morency

Elinor “Ellie” Morency, artist, retired art teacher and beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, died peacefully on October 27 at home in Williston, Vt., with her loving family by her side. Born in Worcester, Mass., to the late Elinor “Nellie” and Thomas Bowes, Ellie grew up in Salem, Mass., where she first met her future husband and the love of her life, Dave, while in elementary school. They would reconnect years later — in 1961 —and marry in 1962.

Ellie attended Emmanuel College on a full scholarship and studied English and minored in French and German. While not part of her formal education, painting had been a passion for Ellie since childhood, and she studied privately with several painters in South Carolina, Virginia and Ohio. In the early '70s, when she settled in Vermont with Dave and her four children, Ellie returned to school full time to study art education at the University of Vermont and earned her teaching certificate in 1978.

She began teaching art that year, first in Shelburne and then in St. Albans, before taking up a post in 1983 at Founders Memorial School in Essex, where she stayed until her retirement in 2001. She was a dynamic and passionate teacher who reached beyond the ordinary to inspire and educate her students. In 1999, she was presented with the Vermont Art Educators Award by the National Art Education Association, having been nominated by several colleagues and her principal for her dedication, professionalism and masterful teaching style.

Ellie continued to paint into retirement and was a member of a painting group made up of much-loved friends, the Monet Mamas, who met every week for many years. Ellie was also an avid reader — she loved mystery novels in particular — and had a passion for the arts in all forms, including music and dancing.

She was a devoted, kind and energetic mother, offering endless love and support while skillfully balancing work and home life. Her creativity, warmth and sense of humor infused her parenting (and grandparenting) and made for a home filled with laughter, song and copious crafting projects.

Ellie was predeceased by her husband, Dave, in 2015, and missed him every day. She is survived by her son David and his wife, Tracy Drake, and their son, Eamon, of Burlington; son Steve of Williston; daughter Elise Minadeo and husband, John, and their children, Nick, Marisa and Dominic of Essex; daughter Anne and husband, Dave Mulleady, of County Longford, Ireland; sister-in-law, Sylvia Wahl, and husband, Ted; brother-in-law, Joseph Morency, and wife, Pauline; cousin, Joan White; and several nieces and nephews whom she loved and adored. She was predeceased by siblings Thomas Bowes, Patricia Raynes, Robert Bowes and Linda Aucone, whom she missed greatly.

The family would like to thank Dr. Cheung Wong and Kim Spina, RN, at the University of Vermont Medical Center; Nancy Carlson and Lisy McIntee from Home Health & Hospice; Dr. Caitlin Baran and the “jolly good” fellow Dr. Gervais for their compassion and care.

A remembrance of Ellie’s life will be held at All Souls Interfaith Gathering, 291 Bostwick Farms Rd., Shelburne, at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 10, 2022, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society or to your favorite charity.

To view a complete obituary please visit gregorycremation.com.