Ellen Sue Wright

Ellen Sue Wright   Ellen Sue Wright (nee Bloch) passed away September 17, 2022, at her home in Vermont Township, Dane County, Wisconsin. Ellen was born at the Jamaica Hospital, Queens, New York City, July 20, 1948. Her parents were David and Celia (nee Ader) Bloch. Ellen’s sister’s Marcie and Nancy followed 3 years later. At age 4 Ellen’s family moved to Richmond, Virginia, where Ellen lived until she moved to Madison, Wisconsin to attend the University in 1966. On July 16, 1980, Ellen met her future husband Dale. They were married May 15, 1981. Dale and Ellen lived in a log cabin in rural western Dane County initially, where their first child Aaron was born in August 1982. In 1983, Dale and Ellen bought a house nearby where Ellen lived the rest of her life with Dale. It was in this house that Johanna was born in 1984, Lucas in 1986, and Jacob in 1987. Ellen was a stay-at-home mother until Jacob went to college. She did a lot of volunteer work at Wisconsin Heights grade school, middle school, and high school while her children attended those schools. In 2007 Ellen began working as a substitute teacher at Wisconsin Heights Schools. She subbed for most of the grades at some point, but spent the bulk of her time in the high school, which was her favorite age group. She filled in for everything from science class to gym class. She was knocked down more than once while supervising gym class. The kids were always very concerned for Mrs. Wright’s physical well-being at those times. Ellen was a person who did things. She was an avid gardener, constantly changing her gardens, trading plants and giving away plants. When her gardens were in bloom she was frequently making bouquets of flowers to give to her many friends. Ellen loved to bake. Most of what she baked was, of course, given away, typically with a personalized and handmade card included. Ellen made countless meals for people at her church and for people in her community who were in need of a bit of extra help. One of the more interesting treat packages that Ellen concocted was mailing treats to her four children while they were attending college. She obtained foam mailing boxes and would send refrigerated and frozen treats to them. Possibly the most challenging task for a recipient of an Ellen gift was in opening it. Ellen was renowned for using miles of tape sealing the packages she sent to people. Over the years Ellen mentored many women of all ages. She loved to invite them into her home, taking them out onto the deck and feeding them a meal prepared just for them. Ellen shared her belief in Jesus with all of these women, using her own life experiences and her own marriage as instructional springboards. Throughout the years Ellen entertained, often with Dale, hundreds of people at her home. The largest single gathering had over 200 guests attending. For this event Ellen made 720 of her famous Oreo Balls. If weather permitted, Ellen would take a 2 1/2 mile walk everyday. She especially enjoyed those walks when her walking partner and neighbor Jill would join her. Ellen met and spoke with many people during those walks, relating with them in her typical effervescent fashion. Another of Ellen’s passions was her crafts. She made numerous gifts and cards for all kinds of occasions and for all kinds of people. She also made bookmarks, wrote stories and poems, and wrote notes of encouragement, many of which were mailed in wildly decorated envelopes. She had a bit of a reputation at the Mt. Horeb Post Office because of her colorful and fun mailings. Ellen was always making treats for the mail men and mail women, the LP delivery guys, FedEx, UPS, the newspaper guy, the neighbors, and many others. Ellen was very involved at her church, GraceWay, in Prairie du Sac. She started, or helped start, a number of women’s retreats. She taught Sunday School, women’s Bible studies, workout classes, marriage classes (with Dale), worked on the Women’s Ministry Team, and many other ministries. Ellen’s church family was always very important to her, and Ellen reached out and touched many people in order to help them grow in their lives. Ellen took her Biblical studies seriously. She read the Bible relentlessly and was well read in books written on Biblical topics. Three of four of Ellen’s children, and the grandchildren, lived in other states that were also distant from Wisconsin, which made it difficult to see them as often as she would have liked. Texts, emails, and phone calls helped, but they were a poor substitute for Ellen’s actually being with her children in person. Ellen and Dale had a fabulous marriage. They had numerous common friends and the bulk of their social life was spent together. One of Ellen’s favorite activities was riding on the golf cart with Dale. Sometimes they would hit the Vermont roads at 2:00 A.M. on a balmy summer night. Such fun they had! One especially memorable night, Ellen and Dale were on the golf cart below their house, in the woods, completely encapsulated by fireflies. It was a magical night! But, alas, Ellen’s end date arrived. At 12:55 P.M., September 17, 2022, God took Ellen home. She died in her bedroom at the same house where three of her four children were born. Dale, Aaron and his wife Kylee, and special friend  Anna Muro, were with Ellen at the end. After our Lord and Savior, Ellen’s greatest love was her husband, Dale. She awaits him in Heaven. Ellen was preceded in death by her parents David and Celia (nee Ader) Bloch, sister Marcie, niece Crystal Cote, father-in-law Donald Wright, mother-in-law Elizabeth Wright, and brother’s-in-law Leslie Wright and Mark Edwards. She is survived by her husband Dale, children Aaron (Kylee Stoor), Johanna, Lucas (Elizabeth and grandchildren Joseph and Keziah)), and Jacob (Bayeshan Cooper), sister Nancy Findley (Chuck), nieces Alissa and Sherry Findley, nephews Corey Edwards (Krissy), Eric Edwards (Nichole), and Gino Ianni, brother’s-in-law Brian Wright (Gene), Carl Wright (Shiela), Willie Ianni, Chuck Findley (Nancy), and Terry Wacker (Jeanette), and sister-in-law Jeanette Wacker (Terry). A special thank you must be given here to Agrace in Madison. Every person that was involved with Ellen’s care was truly into their jobs. They were all loving, caring, tender hearted, and willing to help in any way they could. The Agrace team made the best of a very difficult time, losing Ellen. They made it possible for Ellen to spend her last days on earth at her home, with her family, as she had desired. From the bottom of my heart, I thank all of the people from Agrace who helped with Ellen’s care. And a special thank you must also be made to the many people from our Church, GraceWay, in Prairie du Sac, who gave countless hours of themselves in many ways, helping to make Ellen’s transition from earth to Heaven easier. We even had people come to our home and sing to Ellen. That was special! Ellen asked that if anyone desires to contribute to an organization in her memory, that they would consider Agrace and/or Care Net Pregnancy Center of Dane County. Care Net and what they stand for had a home in Ellen’s heart. Prepare your heart for your departure. If you are wise, you will expect it every hour. And when the time of departure comes, go joyfully to meet it, saying, “come in peace. I knew you would come, and I have not neglected anything that could help me on the journey.”