Obituary

Ellen McKeon DeNooyer, obituary

Mon, 11/30/2015 - 10:00pm

OWLS HEAD — Ellen McKeon DeNooyer passed away peacefully Nov. 26, 2015, after a long and full life.

Born Jan. 17, 1917, in New York City, Ellen was raised a Quaker, and all her life used the distinctive Quaker "plain speech" ("thee" or "thy" instead of "you" or "your"). She grew up on a farm in New Rochelle, N.Y., and attended Swarthmore College. After holding several positions in New York department stores during her 20s, she became a saleswoman for International Business Machines in Providence, R.I.

After the war she moved back to New York, where she worked for the then-new ABC Television Network. There she met Leonard C. DeNooyer, who she married in 1950.

They settled in Rye, N.Y., in a new neighborhood full of other young couples who had survived the Great Depression and World War II. Ellen and Len built a good life and had three children: Rushmore, Ellen and Alice. After Len died suddenly and unexpectedly, she resumed working and soon became the extremely busy church secretary of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Riverside, Conn. The job was never dull, and Ellen was a much-loved fixture at St. Paul's for many years.

While continuing to work full-time, in her mid-60s she designed and oversaw construction of a new house for herself in Rye. Eventually she retired from St. Paul's in her late 70s, and moved to Danbury, Conn. In her mid-90s, she moved to 63 Washington Street in Camden, and later to the Homestead at Owls Head. The older she got the more cheerful she seemed to become, and her infectious smile and mischievous sense of humor made her many new friends during her years in Maine.

She is survived by her children, Rushmore DeNooyer of Searsmont, Ellen Martiena DeNooyer of Milton, Mass., and Alice Mulvey of Danbury, Conn.; as well as her grandchildren, Allegra Amram DeNooyer of Milton, and Ryan and Samantha Mulvey of Danbury.

Two memorial services will be planned, one this winter in Maine, and one in the spring at Purchase Friends Meetinghouse in Purchase, N.Y., – dates to be announced.

Anyone wanting to celebrate Ellen's life will be welcome at either or both services.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Purchase Friends Meeting, 4455 Purchase St., Purchase, NY 10577, for use toward its buildings and grounds.

Local arrangements are in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home.