Anna Eleanor "Ellie" Grasso

GRASSO, Anna Eleanor "Ellie" Roosevelt Braman Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Braman Grasso, 79, known to family and friends as "Ellie" died Sunday (September 28, 2008) at her home in Niantic after a three year battle with cancer. Ellie was born on February 19, 1929 in New York City, the daughter of Chester Alwyn Braman Jr. and Anna Hall Braham, a cousin of Eleanor Roosevelt. She spent her childhood in Chatham and Long Island, NY with her siblings. Ellie graduated from Miss Porter's School in Farmington in 1947, then attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. In 1952 she married Thomas A. McGraw, MD and they lived in New York City. After Dr. McGraw's death in 1966, she moved to Essex. In 1973, she married to Graham H.R.Jenkins. After his death, she was married to Dr. Thomas A. Grasso, the widower of Connecticut Governor, Ella T. Grasso. Together they resided in Old Lyme. During her time in Essex, Ellie owned and ran the Clipper Ship Bookshop for many years. She was also the founding secretary of the Connecticut River Museum. Ellie's lifelong passion was music and she was a devoted member of the St. Ann's Episcopal Church Choir in Old Lyme, a founding member of Con Brio choral ensemble, and an active member of both the Hartford Chorale and the New York Oratorio Society. Ellie was a world traveler, who traversed the globe both independently and with various choral groups. She was an avid gardener who was also fond of animals and outdoor activities, especially sailing, skiing, and hiking. Ellie is survived by her children: Thomas A McGraw Jr. of Windsor, VT, Paul B. McGraw if Rockville Center, NY, and Susan M. Stark of Longmont, CO; her step children, Timothy R. Jenkins and his sister, Christine, Susane O. Grasso, James A. Grasso; her step sisters, Mary Otis Fillman of Cambridge, MA, Gladys S. Thacher of San Francisco, CA, and a half brother, Lawrence J. Braman, also of Cambridge, four grandchildren, a step grandson, and several nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her siblings. A Service in celebration of Ellie's life will be held at St. Ann's Episcopal Church, Shore Rd., Old Lyme, on Saturday, October 11 at 11 a.m. followed by a reception in the church's Griswold Room. All donations in her memory should be made to the Hartford Chorale, the New York Oratorio Society, or to Mystic Seaport.