Elizabeth Lee "Ellie" Bartlett

Please share your memories of Ellie - we would love to hear your stories

I just found out, and my heart is deeply aching.
Last year, my first year as a graduate student at UO, I arrived two weeks before classes began, not knowing a single person in the area, and wondered what I should do. I thought I would check out the OP, and attended the orientation where I met Ellie briefly. Later that week, I happened to run into her at the Onyx Bridge bike cage, where I stored my bike, on my way into the library. We recognized each other, and I asked what she was doing....

I opened up my yearbook today, and an overwhelming sadness filled my heart and eyes as I flipped through until I reached her page. She had written the most heartfelt message of all on that page and it was hard to get through. She was always so kind and open in high school, although we didn't spend a lot of free time together I cherished all of the time we had spent together. She definitely was a beacon of light and will always be greatly missed.

Since school began some days ago, the faculty of Riverdale High School (where Ellie went to school) has been talking about her all the time, sharing our disbelief and sadness. We missed her after she graduated and expected her to have the most passionate, adventurous and giving life. And she did until the end. Now she is on a new adventure, and those of us left behind have fond memories and sadness. She made our high school more vibrant. As did her sister, who we worry about now, and send...

I'm shocked and saddened to hear this news. I was one of Ellie's professors in the Honors College at the UO. Ellie was incredibly bright, not only intellectually but also as a presence in the classroom. She was fun and funny, while also being deeply engaged with ideas and with the projects of her fellow students. She was a pleasure to teach and to know as a person. My deepest condolences to her family and friends during this difficult period.

I've struggled to find words to express my sadness, so I hope this will suffice.

Ellie was truly a beautiful soul who inspired many to live their lives to the fullest. She shone brightly in school and in our lab and I always looked forward to spending time with her. She was constantly inviting me to tag along on any of her several outdoor adventures, which goes to show how kind she was. I can only now wish that I would have joined her one of these times.

I love you, Ellie.

My heart is broken today. The loss of Ellie is unthinkable. She was light, beauty and the craziest girl I ever had the pleasure to meet. I watched her grow from the wild child she was into the smartest yet most contrary person in the room.

She made me laugh at the most unlikely moments. Whether she was showing me a frog from a creek, impressing me with her knowledge of anatomy or how wise she was for one so young, she always astounded me. Her lack of fear, ability to look past all...

Ellie had a way of looking at me that was at once accepting and dismissive - and both for the same reason.

As a frequent boarder at the Hotel Walter, I would often see her first thing in the morning, appearing half-lidded and groggy in the kitchen to make breakfast on her way to some heavily-scheduled day. Yet, as so much that Ellie did in her short time here on earth, her "groggy" was several multipliers ahead of my "alert." I knew it, and she knew it.

She would notice me...

Its so hard to realize that this girl, so full of life, is gone. I got to know Ellie as an advisor for the Explorer Post and spent many hours hiking and climbing with her. I got to know her especially well during 2013 when we spent a week climbing in the Selkirks of British Columbia. She was so comfortable in the outdoors, it was clear how much she loved the air, granite and glaciers. I remember her being the first to ask how she could help out, to carry the extra rope, the first ready to go...