Eleanor "Ellie" Poehlmann, cherished wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away peacefully two months before her 91st birthday on September 21, 2025, after a long journey with Alzheimer's Disease. She leaves behind a legacy of love, laughter, curiosity, kindness, and vivacity that touched all who knew her.
Ellie was a woman of remarkable intellect and energy. A lifelong learner, she earned both undergraduate (Oberlin College) and Master's degrees (The Ohio State University) in Medieval and Renaissance History, doing so at a time when few women pursued advanced degrees. Her diverse career included roles in a doctor's office, psychiatric hospital, social work, bacteriology and nuclear medicine labs, and DNA sequencing research.
Ellie was also a dedicated volunteer and community member, working with Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, P.E.O., Happy Hazels, various book groups, and other organizations. She was a ballet dancer from the time she was a child through college and continued to be involved in the arts, performing in multiple musicals and plays in grad school and beyond. This passion for the arts inspired her volunteer work. She was instrumental in creating the Discovery Concert Series for the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and spent countless hours volunteering for her children's schools and activities, as well as teaching aerobic dancing for more than ten years. A lifelong Episcopalian, she was very active in Boulder's St. Aidan's Church.
Ellie's true vocation, however, was love. She and her husband, Harry, shared a marriage of 66 1/2 years filled with deep love, passion, adventure, and mutual trust and respect. Their home was a place of warmth, music, and laughter, and Ellie's optimistic spirit made it a happy haven for family and friends. Together, they danced through life, often literally and always figuratively, creating a bond that was unbreakable.
Ellie was deeply passionate about animals and children. In her later years, she found great joy in watching children at play, delighting in their energy and laughter. She also loved to travel, with trips to Europe, Africa, and the Far East, as well as many adventures across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Always curious, she never met a stranger, often striking up conversations with those around her to hear their stories. Ellie was equally at home enjoying Grand Opera, Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, Country Western or humming along to Elvis Presley. She always enjoyed a good Mai Tai, Lemon Drop martini, or Black Manhattan - and always left room for dessert!
Ellie's children and grandchildren knew her as a steady, kind presence and a wise advisor, a loyal confidante, and an inspirational role model.
Her legacy continues through her husband, Harry; daughters Lisa Winton (Keith), Dr. Kirsten Kung (Ronson), and Jennifer Poehlmann (Eric); grandchildren Maggie, Joey, Bobby, Caroline, Amanda, Andrew, Ava, and Maddie; cousin Philip Carr (Linda) and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her son, Eric Poehlmann, her parents, Dr. Eric and Olga Ogden, her brother, Dr. Michael Ogden, and her sister, Kathryn Kingwell.
Ellie's family extends heartfelt thanks to "Team Ellie & Harry," caregiver Tenzin Leksang, and the staffs at Balfour Cherrywood Village and Dignity Hospice for their loving care in her final months.
A memorial service will be held at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church in Boulder at a time to be announced.
In memory of Ellie, donations can be made to the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, Boulder Ballet, or an organization supporting women, children or animal welfare.
Ellie made the world brighter and kinder just by being in it. Her family finds comfort in knowing her love and laughter will continue to resonate through the lives she so deeply shaped. As Harry put it, "She was everything a husband could want in a wife."
May she rest in peace - and with an endless supply of chocolate!
Ellie was a woman of remarkable intellect and energy. A lifelong learner, she earned both undergraduate (Oberlin College) and Master's degrees (The Ohio State University) in Medieval and Renaissance History, doing so at a time when few women pursued advanced degrees. Her diverse career included roles in a doctor's office, psychiatric hospital, social work, bacteriology and nuclear medicine labs, and DNA sequencing research.
Ellie was also a dedicated volunteer and community member, working with Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, P.E.O., Happy Hazels, various book groups, and other organizations. She was a ballet dancer from the time she was a child through college and continued to be involved in the arts, performing in multiple musicals and plays in grad school and beyond. This passion for the arts inspired her volunteer work. She was instrumental in creating the Discovery Concert Series for the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and spent countless hours volunteering for her children's schools and activities, as well as teaching aerobic dancing for more than ten years. A lifelong Episcopalian, she was very active in Boulder's St. Aidan's Church.
Ellie's true vocation, however, was love. She and her husband, Harry, shared a marriage of 66 1/2 years filled with deep love, passion, adventure, and mutual trust and respect. Their home was a place of warmth, music, and laughter, and Ellie's optimistic spirit made it a happy haven for family and friends. Together, they danced through life, often literally and always figuratively, creating a bond that was unbreakable.
Ellie was deeply passionate about animals and children. In her later years, she found great joy in watching children at play, delighting in their energy and laughter. She also loved to travel, with trips to Europe, Africa, and the Far East, as well as many adventures across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Always curious, she never met a stranger, often striking up conversations with those around her to hear their stories. Ellie was equally at home enjoying Grand Opera, Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, Country Western or humming along to Elvis Presley. She always enjoyed a good Mai Tai, Lemon Drop martini, or Black Manhattan - and always left room for dessert!
Ellie's children and grandchildren knew her as a steady, kind presence and a wise advisor, a loyal confidante, and an inspirational role model.
Her legacy continues through her husband, Harry; daughters Lisa Winton (Keith), Dr. Kirsten Kung (Ronson), and Jennifer Poehlmann (Eric); grandchildren Maggie, Joey, Bobby, Caroline, Amanda, Andrew, Ava, and Maddie; cousin Philip Carr (Linda) and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her son, Eric Poehlmann, her parents, Dr. Eric and Olga Ogden, her brother, Dr. Michael Ogden, and her sister, Kathryn Kingwell.
Ellie's family extends heartfelt thanks to "Team Ellie & Harry," caregiver Tenzin Leksang, and the staffs at Balfour Cherrywood Village and Dignity Hospice for their loving care in her final months.
A memorial service will be held at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church in Boulder at a time to be announced.
In memory of Ellie, donations can be made to the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, Boulder Ballet, or an organization supporting women, children or animal welfare.
Ellie made the world brighter and kinder just by being in it. Her family finds comfort in knowing her love and laughter will continue to resonate through the lives she so deeply shaped. As Harry put it, "She was everything a husband could want in a wife."
May she rest in peace - and with an endless supply of chocolate!
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