Ellie Palmer

Some people are driven by ambition, awards or accolades, always chasing the unattainable brass ring. Ellie Palmer wasn't one of them. Ellie was a hardworking woman, yet she always knew what she was working so hard for - her loving family. More than anything, Ellie was a beloved wife, mother and grandmother, who always put her family's needs ahead of her own.

Ellie's story began on a cold winter day in 1937, in the little mining town of Matewan, West Virginia. Those were hopeful times in this country, so desperate to recover from the hardships of the Great Depression. As the country put 1936 behind them and rang in the New Year, Orie and Sadie (Jude) Gibson had even more reason to celebrate, with the birth of a beautiful baby girl, a daughter they named Eleanor.

Ellie was the youngest of six children in the family's home, with a wide disparity in ages between youngest and oldest. Her father was a hardworking coal miner, while her mother was a teacher until becoming a full-time homemaker. Ellie was an even-tempered child, and being so much younger than her siblings, Ellie grew up closest with her niece Norma, who was just a few years her junior.

By the time Ellie reached high school, she had grown into a beautiful young woman, and was a band majorette in school. She also met a handsome young man named Jack DeHart, who was two years ahead of her in school. They began dating and quickly fell in love, and Ellie left school in the 10th grade to get married to him. It wasn't long before the newlyweds became parents, as well, with the birth of their son, Larry.

Jack provided for his new family by working several factory jobs, while Ellie found work as a waitress. Over the years their family grew with four more children, Mike, Dave, Vicki and Rusty, who kept Ellie very busy outside of work.

Eventually the family packed up and left West Virginia, moving to Ohio and then settling in Portage, Michigan, where Jack found a better job. The children settled in to their new schools, and Ellie found a waitress job at Howard Johnson restaurant. One of the more exciting moments for Ellie's came at that eatery, when she help put together room service for none other than Elvis Presley!

Ellie was far from all work and no play, however. She loved the great outdoors, and when time and money allowed, she enjoyed piling the kids in the car and taking them camping, usually to Kentucky or Tennessee.

While working fulltime and raising five children didn't give her much free time for many years, when her kids got older she found her new favorite hobby: line dancing. Ellie loved to go dancing, and had a set schedule every week. Tuesdays she danced at Scotts Community Center, and Fridays were saved for line dancing at the Comstock VFW. In between, she and her niece Norma even earned their certificates of completion in belly dancing! Her favorite place to dance, however, was the Barn in Martin, where they played the older songs.

In the early 1980s, after 27 years of marriage, Ellie and Jack parted ways, but because of their children, they remained friends. Ellie wasn't meant to remain alone, however. She had such a big heart and lots of love to give, and she found that love in a wonderful man named Ronald Palmer, and the two were soon married.

Ronald's family blended with Ellie's seamlessly, and Christmas became a huge tradition for them. Ellie had everyone over for an enormous Christmas Eve dinner every year, which was so special - mostly because she did some cooking! Perhaps because of her waitress job, Ellie wasn't very fond of cooking, but she did make wonderful cheesecake and meatballs for the potluck occasion. Another tradition was going to the Portage tree lighting, and having the grandkids for a sleepover afterward, when she'd bake them beautiful Christmas cookies.

Sadly, after only a few years of marriage, Ron died in 1991. Ellie was deeply affected, but again she would find love. In the 1990s, she met Tony Millirans, and they shared a wonderful relationship until he sadly died in 2004. She also found a new job in 1993, when she began working for Patten Monuments in sales, a post she held for 14 years, which she enjoyed and kept her busy.

The past few years, she found her heart with a terrific man named Mal Houseman, who made her so happy. That was Ellie, though, always upbeat, always enjoying life to its fullest. She was a quiet, calm lady, yet so vibrant and energetic, as well. Ellie was always on the go, with an unsinkable, vibrant attitude about things. Even when her health began to decline, the first words out of her mouth were always, "Where are we going today?"

Sadly, Ellie died Thursday, May 10, 2007, at her home, at the age of 70.

Ellie was a truly wonderful woman, so generous, caring and hardworking. She was a beloved wife, loving mother and grandmother, and a loyal friend to so many, who devoted her life to caring for those around her any way she could. Today her love, and her life, lives on in all who knew her. She will be greatly missed.

Visit with Ellie's family and friends on Monday from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at Life Story Funeral Homes, RDMG, Portage; 5975 Lovers Lane, where a funeral service will be held on Tuesday at 1 p.m. Eleanor was preceded in death by her second husband Ronald Palmer, her brother Johnny Stroughers, and her sisters Gladys Thomas and Virginia Hymore. Members of her family include her daughter Vicki & Steve Sturm of Portage and her sons Larry DeHart of Kalamazoo, Mike DeHart of Portage, Dave & Gina DeHart of Plainwell and Rusty & Dorothy DeHart of Willis, 13 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildrn and her sisters Juanita Harris and Hattie Tarquinto, her first husband Jack DeHart of Portage, her significant other Malcolm Houseman of Portage and many nieces and nephews. Please visit Eleanor's Memory Page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can read her Life Story, share a memory or photo, sign her memory book online or make a memorial donation to Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan.