Ellen Holch - 101 Yrs.

Ellen Holch - 101 yrs.

Northampton, MA - Ellen O'Keefe Holch, born and raised in Northampton, MA, died in her sleep at her home in Greenwich, CT on March 15. The first of six children born to Irish immigrants Mary and Cornelius O'Keefe, she graduated as valedictorian from St. Michael's School and was awarded a special scholarship to Smith College for outstanding Northampton residents. After graduating from Smith in 1943, Ellen worked for Remington Rand and later became a stewardess for United Airlines.

In 1947, Ellen moved to Denver Colorado to marry Joseph Hare, a librarian at the University of Denver. After his untimely death, Ellen met her second husband Arthur Holch on a blind date in Denver in 1951. The couple lived in Japan and Queens, NY before building a house in backcountry Greenwich where they raised seven children.

Ellen earned her Master's of Library Science from Columbia University while raising her family. She held many roles during her long career as a librarian for the town of Greenwich-first at an elementary school which her children attended ('68 to '73)- and subsequently at The Greenwich Public Library where she was the children's and film librarian, active in the oral history project and helped establish the library's business department.

With her husband Arthur, an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker, Ellen travelled extensively throughout Eastern & Western Europe and Southern & Latin America on his overseas assignments. She enjoyed travel, running, hiking, raising orchids and bird watching at Tod's Point throughout her long and full life.

She is survived by her children and their spouses: Gregory (Rhonda), Hilary (Thomas – dec.) O'Neill, Milissa (Rick) Laurence, Jeremy (Tanya), Meredith an Allegra as well as six grandchildren, a sister and brother-in-law and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, a son and granddaughter.

The family would like to extend special thanks to Ellen's devoted caregiver Lia.

A private memorial will be held this summer.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), or the Smith College Ada Comstock Scholarship Fund.