Ellen L. Chamberlain passed away peacefully on Feb 18, 2022 at the age of 96. She was surrounded by her family who loved her dearly. They all contributed text and photos for this page.
A small family memorial will take place in Eugene, OR on July 23, 2022 at 12:00pm PDT. If you would like to follow along via a live video that day, please click “play” on the below. (*Note, this is not a professional live stream – we cannot guarantee audio or video quality)
A bit about Ellen…
Ellen led a long and fruitful life full of laughter, love, and adventure. Those who knew her will always remember her wry sense of humor and warm smile. She is someone that could make you feel like the center of the universe when she talked with you. Despite describing herself as “nervous,” she had quite an adventurous life – beginning at her birth in a Hupmobile on March 27, 1925 in San Francisco, CA. She grew up in California, attending high school in Vallejo and college first at Santa Rosa Junior College and then San Jose State University.
She met her future husband Jim while at San Jose State University. The two married in May 1948 and had two boys, Douglas and Craig. Jim’s career as a cartographer with the US Geological Survey took them all over the country. In 1959 they moved to northern Virginia where Ellen became a schoolteacher. She taught the first and second grade from 1962 until 1986. Ellen and her family moved back to California in 1969 and she lived there (except for a couple of years abroad in Saudi Arabia) until 2017 when she moved to the Springs of Greer Garden in Eugene OR.
Ellen ensured that her family knew they were loved and were close to one another. She hosted many holidays in her home and never skipped out on an invitation for a gathering. She loved good food, wine, and company. She was also an avid tennis player and bridge player.
Ellen is survived by her two sons, Doug & Craig, their spouses Isa & Connie, and four grandchildren Martin Chamberlain, Diana Chamberlain, Denise Chamberlain Rolfe, Laura Bodner and their families. She had four great-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren. She will be interred next to Jim in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (the Punchbowl) in Honolulu, HI.
