Known for her sly humor and physical size, Ella fit right in with a family that loves socializing and basketball. Ella was tall! By the time she was two, Ella was in the 99th percentile of height for her age group. Her size often tricked adults and other children into speaking to her as if she was older than she actually was.

From early on, Ella was friendly to everyone, flashing smiles to passers-by from the seat of a grocery cart or from her stroller. She loved it if you would sing itsy-bitsy-spider with her or mention Beebo, the Baby Signs Bear.

She loved music, dance and reading. Before she was diagnosed, she attended a Waldorf daycare, where she had a reputation as the child who would dance along to the singing of the closing circle. Her favorite books were The Daddy Book by Todd Parr and a sing-along named Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton.

The terrible twos were worse to Ella than she was to them; she showed remarkable resilience and general good cheer in the face of difficult times. So long as she could hug Gossie, her stuffed gosling, nothing was insurmountable.

Ella passed away on May 26, 2007. She will always be remembered and loved by those who knew her, or who were inspired by her story.

To learn more about Ella and her family, visit her Memorial Service page or view
photos of her.