Our beloved aunt, Ellen James Ward (aka El, EJ or Dodo) died peacefully just before dawn on January 12. She was 96, and a recent resident of the River Mead retirement community in Peterborough, NH.
El, the youngest daughter and last remaining member of a close-knit family of seven that included parents Hugh C. Ward and Grassie B. Ward, siblings Virginia W. Cabot, Hugh C. Ward, Jr., Mary Louise Ryus, and Peter B. Ward, was born in Boston in 1927. She spent her childhood at their family home, the Pump Cottage, Hart Street, Beverly Farms.
Beyond her immediate family, El took special pride in her ancestral Kansas City roots as a direct descendant of Jesse James.
Ellen was a graduate of the Shore Country Day School, St. Catherine’s School (‘45) and Vassar College (‘49). She excelled in athletics. She won numerous secondary school tennis tournaments, often with her sister Mary Lou as her doubles partner. In her senior year at St. Catherine’s, she was the captain of the school’s Gold team. While at Vassar El was invited to attend the Merestead Field Hockey Camp in Camden, Maine, one of two in the country at the time preparing serious female athletes to pursue competitive international field hockey at home and abroad. In the winter of 1950, she was a member of the Merestead Rootlers Touring Field Hockey team that competed in the United Kingdom and Holland. She was coached by Anne Townsend, a ranking member of the All-American Field Hockey Team, and she played both field hockey and lacrosse with Maggie Boyd, long-term captain of the English lacrosse team. In a remarkable feat, our aunt played with the American National Field Hockey team in the fall of 1951 and the All-American Reserves in the National Lacrosse Tournament during the spring of 1951.
Her career as a physical education instructor began in Philadelphia, where she continued to play with the U.S. Women’s Field Hockey team. After a brief stint in Connecticut as coach/teacher, El’s professional career culminated in a multi-decade role at the Brookwood School in Manchester where she was a cherished physical education instructor, girl’s field hockey and lacrosse coach.
After retirement, El dedicated herself to her life-long interest in art and photography. She lived in Manchester for decades on Washington Street where she turned the meridian patch into a flourishing, award winning flower garden. In 1999, for this garden the Manchester Board of Selectmen named Ellen “Outstanding Volunteer of the Year.” She studied art with renowned artist, Zygmund Jankoski and with paints or camera in hand captured beautiful and widely exhibited images of locations like Manchester harbor, Black and White beach and secret coastal byways. She was an enthusiastic and prize-winning member of the Guild of Beverly Artists.
In her ninth decade, El moved to the Herrick House in Beverly where she befriended the entire staff and continued her interest in painting. After a fall and brief stint with physical therapy, she left the North Shore to live in Peterborough, NH near her niece Susan Martin. El was a stalwart Kansas City Chiefs fan, refusing all telephone calls during game time. She remained creative, inquisitive, observant, humble, loving, energetic, generous with her time and laughter, often engaged on social media or phone and in person with her nieces, nephews, and hordes of grand nieces and nephews. She had an avid interest in politics, current events, cultural trends and all sports. Only hours before her death, El noted with some degree of satisfaction that the Patriots' Bill Belichick had left the scene and expressed the hope that Trump would do the same.
Our remarkable aunt is survived by a legion of family who were blessed to know her. We include Samuel and Claire Cabot, Ellie Cabot and Matthew Watson, Joan Cabot and Fred Gardiner, Christopher and Judith Cabot; Jared and Celina Ward, Natalie Ward and Joel Harris, Seth and Penny Ward; David and Martha Martin, Susan Martin, Michael and Heather Ryus; Peter and Patty Ward, Lisa Ward, Preston and Jackie Ward, James C. Ward and Jonathan Day; her sisters-in-law Diana G. Ward, Judy Ward and Nancy King, several dear friends in England, and numerous great-nephews and nieces, and great grands.
Plans for a spring memorial service are yet to be made.
