Ellen A. Gniazdowski

Ellen Ann Gniazdowski, fondly known as "Miss" Ellen, passed away peacefully on August 11, 2024. She was 94.
Graveside services will be held at Woodlawn Cemetery, in Baltimore, Maryland on Friday, August 23rd, at 11am.
Born in October 1929, to Rose and Walter Pimm, Ellen was one of the Great Generation whose strength of character and love of country was formed through the trials of the Great Depression and World War II. It was during this time she developed a love of theatre and dance, inspired by her mother who opened a school for theatre and dance to help make ends meet during those lean years. Although her mother was schooled by the Denishawn School of Dance, which laid the foundation for modern dance greats such as Martha Grahm and Doris Humphrey, Ellen soon found her passion in Classical Ballet, travelling weekly by train to Philadelphia and Washington DC to study under ballet luminaries such as Frederick Franklin, Oleg Tupine and Michael Nicholoff, a member of Anna Pavlova's company. It was this passion for ballet and dance that truly defined her life.
Eventually Ellen inherited her mother's dance school which she named "The Gniazdowska Studio of Ballet" and found her true calling in teaching ballet and its disciplines. Her talent and love for teaching blossomed into a 65-year-long career, during which she touched countless lives, inspiring and enriching her students with her kindness and dedication, many of them continuing into professional dance careers.
Ellen worked tirelessly to give her students opportunities to perform. In addition to producing 49 annual dance recitals, she created the Baltimore Concert Group out of her studio which for over 40 years performed in and around the Baltimore area for community organizations, festivals and many years at Baltimore's Inner Harbor Summer Concert Series. During the 1960's she and fellow dance teacher Danny Diamond formed the Baltimore City Ballet which eventually became the Maryland State Ballet, giving many of her students the chance to perform on larger and more prominent stages.
Not only was Ellen recognized for her teaching abilities, but she was an accomplished and prolific choreographer. Not satisfied to have her students parade on an off the recital stage, she created full ballets to classical music, telling time tested stories such as the "Little Mermaid" and "The Twelve Dancing Princess", tailoring her choreography to every level of student so they could be an important part of the story. She used known musical pieces such as " Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks " to set the mood of a wily fox humorously avoiding horse mounted hunters. She inspired patriotism by having dancers in the Red White and Blue to bound in long leaps across the stage to a Strauss march.
Little known is that in her teens, Ellen was accepted into the New York School of Fashion Design, but opted to attend the University of Maryland to be closer to her soon to be husband, Bill. The summer before her freshman year, Ellen and her older sister Sue joined Cole Brothers Circus where Ellen rode elephants and her sister dressed as Lady Godiva.
She never gave up her sewing and design skills, using them to design, create and sew all of the costumes for her students' performances throughout her teaching career. She was an expert seamstress, painstakingly measuring and cutting the patterns for her original designs. She spent many long hours after teaching her classes sitting at her sewing machine in order to meet performance deadlines. Her sewing skills extended beyond the stage in that she lovingly designed her daughter Valerie's wedding dress and all of the bridesmaid's dresses for her daughter Toni.
Ellen announced her retirement from producing recitals in May of 1997, but not one to remain idle, continued to teach on a limited scale for the next 10 years offering private classes to Baltimore's orthodox Jewish community and to new and returning adult students. Ellen taught her last class when she was 81.
In her personal life, Ellen found her greatest joy in her family. She was the devoted wife of the late William Leo Gniazdowski, who was the love of her life. It was this love of family that caused her to move from Baltimore to Delaware in 2015 to spend more time with her grandchildren, whom she adored. She never missed a birthday, holiday, or major life event. Forever generous in spirit, she always fretted over what perfect gift to give. She was known to her family and friends for her infamous Christmas goodie bags that were filled with trinkets she'd collected throughout the years such as soaps, pencils, and sandwich baggies full of nuts.
Ellen was a woman of unwavering faith. She was an active member of First Baptist Church of Baltimore, then Calvary Baptist Church in Towson, Maryland. She became a beloved member of the Lighthouse Baptist Church Community when she moved to Delaware where her faith continued to grow and where she was known not to have missed a Sunday service in 9 years. She maintained a strong belief in God, Christ as her Savior and Heaven.
"Miss" Ellen, was a beacon of love, kindness, and inspiration. Her teachings, both in dance and in life, have left an indelible mark on all who knew her. She will be deeply missed by her children, grandchildren, and all those whose lives she touched.
She is survived by her three children, Valerie Griffith, Ryan Gniazdowski (wife Michelle Gniazdowski), and Mary Antonia Schrock (husband Robert Schrock); her four grandchildren, Brittany Gniazdowski, Hannah Schrock, Matthew Schrock, and Michael Schrock and great granddaughter, Veronica Coccagna.