Ellie W. Taylor

Ellie Taylor died peacefully December 19, 2023, after a long battle with dementia. Ellie was born Eleanor Merryman Ward on April 6, 1940, to Nathaniel and Eleanor Ward of Baltimore, MD, but she grew up in Greensboro, NC and was very much “Ellie” from her earliest years. She spent summers as a young girl in Blowing Rock, NC, learning to ride and love horses. She attended The Madeira School in McLean, VA, where she formed friendships that were a source of support, joy and love throughout her life, and studied at Duke University before marrying and starting a family. 

Ellie was an incredibly strong woman who always put others first. She was a wonderful and devoted mother of three, and a trusted friend who could always be counted on to remember every birthday and anniversary and to know how to acknowledge whatever the occasion in the most thoughtful and perfectly appropriate manner. She spent many years caring for loved ones in need, first as primary caregiver to her daughter Gina throughout her 8-year battle with cancer, and then as caregiver to her former husband John Taylor, who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

When she wasn’t caring for others — and even while she was — Ellie was often busy volunteering or working. As a young mother in Charlotte, NC, in the 1970s she was an advocate for women’s rights and worked with grassroots organizations to help revitalize Uptown Charlotte. After moving to Oxford, MD, she worked in the family boatyard and as a buyer for a local fine clothing store. She later relocated to Washington, DC, where she studied Russian history and art to become a docent at the Hillwood Museum. Finally, after returning to Maryland’s Eastern Shore, she became a certified personal trainer and developed a loyal (and fit!) following among her clients at Body Watts Fitness Studio in Easton, MD. She very much enjoyed living on the tributaries that feed the Chesapeake Bay, but undeniably preferred her dogs to boats.

In caring for her former husband and then with her own diagnosis, Ellie fought a courageous and stoic battle against the pain and loss that goes along with dementia. She eventually found peace and was extremely grateful for her dear friends and members of her community even as her memories faded and reorganized themselves. She was a welcome force of positive energy and brought joy to her fellow residents and the wonderful staff at Avita of Newburyport, where she spent her final years enveloped in love.

Throughout it all, Ellie drew strength and purpose from the words of Ms. Madeira, founder of The Madeira School: “Function in disaster, finish in style.”  Indeed, she did both, and in so doing made the world a better place. She was kind and generous, and was loved by all who were fortunate enough to know her. Ellie is survived by two of her three children from her first marriage to Philip Conner: daughter Lisa and son-in-law David Sweet of Rye, NH, and son Philip (Jr) and daughter-in-law Laura Conner of West Hartford, CT. She was preceded in death by her eldest daughter Gina in 1988. Her legacy is also alive and well in her four grandchildren, Ella, Sam and Nate Sweet and Zach Conner.

While her journey was difficult, her family would like to thank the many friends, caregivers and more than a couple strangers who provided support, comfort and guidance along the way, helping Ellie to navigate her decline with dignity and a high quality of life. A celebration of her life will be held for family and friends in the spring. Memorial donations can be made to Shining Hope Farms (https://shininghopefarms.org/).