Ellabert M. Macnie

Ellabert Macnie, of East Greenwich, passed away on November 9 at the age of 97 after enjoying a splendid life with family and friends.

Born in 1922, the Pawtucket native was a gregarious woman who worked hard to accomplish her many achievements. She contracted polio during her junior high school years and her right arm was paralyzed. With the diligence of her mother Alice’s TLC and her own inner resilience, she beat it, regaining full use of her body. That kind of fortitude also assisted her when it came time for sports. Teenage Ellabert Walsh was a championship speed skater who earned regional medals, and enjoyed the thrills of competition. She had a dual interest in swimming, participating in meets around the Providence area and earning her an invitation to swim with the Pembroke college squad, after graduating from Pawtucket’s Tolman High School. Against her parents wishes, she chose to serve her country when WWII erupted. Stationed in the Philippines as a WAAC during the Army’s Asiatic Pacific campaign, she performed stenographer duties in Manila until her honorable discharge in the autumn of 1945.

Arriving back home, she began working at Narragansett Electric as a customer service representative in company’s Elmwood headquarters, and fell in love with Jim Macnie, a big-hearted EG Academy grad who held jobs as both house painter and fireman and was a player on the EG Townies football team. Their dates often found them enjoying Rhode Island Reds hockey games at the Providence Arena on North Main Street. Married in 1952, they spent the next 35 years together raising a family and having fun. “I’m a lucky woman. A beautiful, beautiful relationship,” she often said, “we loved each other so much.”

Sons Jim Jr and Mark grew up participating with their folks in many aspects of RI culture, from beach weekends and swim clubs to EG Little League and high school sports. Ellabert and Jim took their kids camping at Burlingame State Park during the summer, and also shared New Hampshire ski vacations and get-aways to Scarborough Beach with aunts, uncles and cousins in the mix. On Sundays, the Macnies would often load up their quahog skiff, the “Sing-Along” (named after Mitch Miller’s TV show), and head through Greenwich Cove to Goddard Park for beach fun with other families. Ellabert’s zest for getting out and making the most of each day was infectious.  Associations with the hard-working members of the volunteer fire crew helped set Jim and Mark’s personal standards for respecting others and practicing fair play towards all. The Macnie homes on Marlborough Street and Kenyon Ave were open-door residences, with a steady flow of friends and family coming in and out. Leaving Narragansett Electric in 1953 to become an at-home mom, Ellabert was a volunteer at Our Lady of Mercy school and Main Street crossing guard. She always got a kick out of visiting her brother Steve in New York City, where sight-seeing and nightlife were enjoyed by both. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in the mid-70s, she rode out the rigors of her chemotherapy treatments, ultimately conceding full use of her right arm to the disease. It only slowed her down a tad. Never one to bow to a bump in the road, she carried on with the same esprit that marked her entire life.

Ellabert’s health waned in her later years, but her legal-blindness, diminished hearing and chronic arthritis didn’t hamper lunches enjoyed with friends at local eateries. Neither did it quell her time spent with family, especially her grandsons - she was always keenly interested and supportive of their personal adventures. During her last decade of life, she was always quick with a laugh and as witty as ever. Her vibrant personality was a perpetual calling card.

She is survived by her sons Jim and Mark, and their wives, Holly Halvarson and Pam Macnie, as well as her grandchildren, Matthew Macnie, John Macnie, Misha Macnie, and Crockett Macnie, who loved her like crazy. Everyone in Ella’s orbit - from family to friends - will miss the spirited way she addressed her life for the past 97 years.

Donations in her name can be made to www.specialolympicsri.org (please note Pathways Patriots team)

Her funeral will be private. We encourage all to share any memories here on the Hill website.