Ellen B. Dunn of Keyport, N.J., and recently Lee, passed away peacefully on Sept. 12, 2026, surrounded by family, five days before her 87th birthday. Ellen was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1939 to Herman and Anna Baum, and was older sister to Sandy (who predeceased her), but grew up in Chicago.
As a girl Ellen loved swimming, volleyball, roller and ice skating, canoeing, dancing, and playing piano, and participated in water ballet in high school. She was studious, double-promoted in grades, and graduated ninth in her high school class. She had a close gang of girlfriends who called themselves “the P Club,” and loved summer camp and libraries.
Ellen earned a B.A. in teaching of Spanish from the University of Illinois, Urbana, in 1960. She was awarded a fellowship and spent a year living in Mexico, later becoming a high school Spanish teacher. In 1960 she married Bob Dunn, and had two children, Deb Dunn of Chilmark, and Jeremy Dunn of Becket. Ellen and Bob divorced in 1977, and she never remarried.
Ellen was a lifelong learner. Over her lifetime she took many classes on interior design and decorating, flower arranging, color theory, and computer skills. In her mid-40s she earned a M.Ed. in psychology from NYU, and was especially proud of an A in statistics! She was a gifted writer, and used that skill to chronicle her life in (often humorous) short stories and in her work as a technical editor for Prudential, Combustion Engineering, and Mobil (where she lamented engineers’ writing skills), and later as a social services writer for the N.J. Department of Youth and Family Services. During these latter 10 years she was recognized for her extreme care and skill in comprehensively and sensitively documenting the lives of children in the foster-care system who were adoption-eligible. This was heartfelt, traumatic work for her. She gave so much of herself to do the best for the children.
Ellen was a voracious reader and researcher. She favored books on interior design and flowers, magazines and newspapers, underlining and notating everything in red pen. She loved PBS and documentaries. Ellen most loved international folk dancing and folk music, African drumming, international culture, and folk crafts and musical instruments from all over the world.
As a mother in the 1970s she was ahead of her time, insisting on using seatbelts, restricting sugar consumption and, though not a gourmet cook, laboring over cooking healthy food for her family, including fresh vegetables from the home garden. She found alternative schooling for her children, and joined an intergenerational recreation organization, Eastern Cooperative Recreation School, where lifelong friendships were formed.
Ellen was an inherently good, kind person. Once Alzheimer’s ensued, her sense of humor shone. To laugh with her in the last couple of years of her life was a true gift.
Ellen leaves her daughter, Deb Dunn, son-in-law Jim Feiner, and grandson Elijah Dunn-Feiner; son Jeremy Dunn, and daughter-in-law Delsie. Donations in her name can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, online at alz.org.
