Mary Ann Ellis

WESTERLY - Mary Ann (Ann) Ellis ne Chalfant died on Wednesday, October 22 in Westerly, Rhode Island. She was 84 years old.

Ann is survived by her husband, Dwight Warren Ellis III, her son, Warren Marshall Ellis, and her sister, Jane Chalfant Ackley. She was preceded in death by her son, Morgan Cottrell Ellis, brother Thomas Haight Chalfant, and her parents, Mary and John Chalfant.

Ann graduated from the MacDuffie School for Girls and Centenary College for Women and was presented at the Junior League Cotillion in Springfield.

She worked as an au pair in Chateau-d'Oex in Switzerland and started her career as a programmer for IBM and NCR and enjoyed telling stories about using punch cards.

In 1965, after a nine-year courtship, she married Dwight Warren Ellis III. Together, they lived in Key West, Florida, later moving to Ithaca, New York and eventually settling in Park Slope Brooklyn, where they lived for most of their lives.

Ann was deeply involved in the arts and early childhood education, helping improve life for her community and beyond. A devoted philanthropist and volunteer, she excelled in fundraising for many causes and held leadership roles with organizations such as the Brooklyn Junior League, where she served as president, and the Park Slope Neighborhood Family Center. The ACE Early Childhood Center in her beloved Park Slope neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY was named in her honor.

An avid traveler and lover of good food and conversation, Ann enjoyed exploring the world and connecting with people everywhere she went. She especially cherished time spent at family homes in Weekapaug, Rhode Island and Blandford, Massachusetts.

A remembrance will be held 11 a.m. on November 8 at Weekapaug Chapel, 106 Noyes Neck Rd, Westerly, RI followed by a reception at the Weekapaug Yacht Club, 23 Spray Rock, Westerly, RI. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Brooklyn Museum, and/or Brooklyn Community Services (BCS).

For online condolences, please visit www.buckler-johnston.com