Ellie Nora Bourquardez Griffin, of Greenwich, CT and Watch HI, RI died peacefully, surrounded by her family on December 8 after a short illness.
Ellie was born on June 23, in New York City. She was the youngest, beloved daughter of Patrick and Mary, She attended Pelham High School, graduated from Fort Lauderdale High School and attended Mary Washington College.
Always glamorous, she originally worked as a model before marrying and starting her family.
Ellie made many, many friends throughout her long, extraordinary life. She was fun-loving, exuberant, often hilarious. With her magnetic charm, she lit up every room she entered. With her great warmth, kind-heartedness and generosity, she connected easily with people from all walks of her life. If you had met her once, you never would have forgotten her.
Ellie was very stylish, creative and artistic in all areas of her life. She loved designing and decorating her homes. She studied and pursued fine-art painting with keen pleasure, and so enjoyed her involvement with the Marge Schilling Art Guild, which she led for several years before her vision failed completely.
Ellie was a passionate dog lover and cherished each and every dog she had ever had throughout her life, as evidenced by the many portraits of them in her home. But without compare, Ellie’s greatest source of pride and joy was being the mother to her four children. Always the first thought in her life, nothing else came before them. She was a loving, encouraging, caring, devoted mother. And just crazy about her grandchildren, managing to convince each one that they were her special favorite. However, being fortunate enough to have three great-grandchildren gave her tremendous endless, amazed delight.
Ellie was an active, beloved member at The Misquamicut Club, The Watch Hill Yacht Club, The Jupiter Island Club and The Ocean House Club. They will sorely miss her.
For 58 years, Ellie was the adored wife of William J. Griffin III, who predeceased her in 2012. She is survived by her children William J. Griffin IV, Kimberley Reynolds (Richard), Leslie Lambrecht (Laurence), and Nicole Griffin; her 7 grandchildren Ryan Reynolds Condra (Erik), Patrick and Christopher Reynolds, Jack and Grace Lambrecht, Eliza and Claire Griffin; her great-grandchildren Callan, Ellery, and Decker Condra; her sister-in-law Elise Griffin, her nephew Peter Griffin, her niece Lisa McGill (Jef), grandnieces Sydney and Annie McGill.
A private family service will be held for Ellie at St. Pius X Church. She will be buried at River Bend Cemetery beside her husband. A memorial celebration of Ellie’s glorious life will be held next summer in Watch Hill.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Seeing Eye, an organization committed to helping the blind with the aid of seeing eye dogs. seeingeye.org
For online condolences, please visit buckler-johnston.com
