Ellen Chanterelle

Ellen Chanterelle passed peacefully in her home here in Lorane early in the morning of November 18. Ellen was 81 years old, the same age as her father, Walter, was when he too died of Alzheimer’s disease. She loved animals, music, laughter and her daughter, Reka, her sister, Judith and her partner for 45 years, Kyle.

Ellen was born in Washington Heights, NYC and moved to Flushing in Queens NY at 7. She studied the piano, and enjoyed opera and particularly Balkan folk dancing. She loved her trips to the Catskills that the family took during many summers. Then, after receiving a bachelor’s degree in English at City College of New York, in 1968, she traveled, by motorcycle, across the country, and settled in the small town of Albion, California, just south of Mendocino. There she and her husband, Erl had their daughter, Reka. Ellen enjoyed mushrooming and living in the woods and worked at a food co-op, She taught folk dancing and Balkan singing, playing old timey and Celtic music and ragtime on the piano.

In 1978 Ellen and Reka moved to Berkeley, California so Ellen could study music composition in San Francisco. She became involved in Balkan singing and dancing and joined a Balkan women’s singing group where she met Kyle. She also learned to play the accordion and enjoyed Irish music and folk dancing.

Ellen studied at a culinary institute in Oakland. She found work at the University of California, first managing the kitchen for some student housing and then as chef for the chancellor. She also had her own catering business in Oakland.

As Reka neared the end of high school in Berkeley, Kyle and Ellen planned on leaving the city and moving to the country. Ellen always lived with animals. When she was in Albion she had some goats and cats. Then in Berkeley she had two goats (and more cats and guinea pigs) and began to be interested in breeding, and milking and making cheese. And in 1988 she decided to become a licensed veterinary technician and went to school at the Oakland Community College.

Ellen and Kyle moved to Lorane late in the summer of 1990. Ellen started her vet tech career working for the Cat and Bird Clinic in Eugene. She took a break for a few years working as the baker for Our Daily Bread in Veneta. After that, Ellen began work at the Emergency Veterinary Hospital when it was in Eugene. While at EVH she started working for veterinary ophthalmologist, Sarah Maxwell. Sarah and Ellen then moved to work for OVRA in Springfield, where Ellen continued working for many years.

During her time living in Lorane you could regularly find Ellen playing at the Irish music jams on Sundays at Same Bond’s. Or folk dancing at Agate hall. Or contra dancing at assorted venues in Eugene.

On the home front, Ellen’s attention shifted toward sheep and wool and spinning. We had more sheep than goats for a while. She had a booth at the Holiday Market every Christmas where she sold her own wool and crocheted hats. And she was part of a spinning group. Then she began serious goat breeding and spent most of the rest of her life breeding high quality milking Nubian goats, making cheese and selling cheese and milk from the farm. She frequented the Bread Club in Cottage Grove for many years when it first started.

Ellen always loved animals. And she loved to share her skills with others. She spent many years volunteering in spay and neuter clinics and she always had milk for Jenetta’s rescued cats in Cottage Grove.

There will be a celebration of Ellen’s life some time this spring. We will miss Ellen and will keep her in our hearts.