Ellen Dobbyn-Blackmore Memorial

The PTA Executive board and many of us who knew her well were terribly saddened to learn of the sudden death of Ellen Dobbyn Blackmore, mother of Rutger Dobbyn Blackmore, class of 2021, and wife of Andrew Blackmore.

Ellen's enormous generosity of spirit,  bright intelligence and sometimes wickedly funny humor made her a vibrant presence in our school community. In the last four years as a Harbor Parent she gave endlessly of her time in many diverse roles she took on,  serving  as  Marine Policy representative (supporting the early days of the fledgling CTE and its growing pains) and Secretary of the PTA, as an active member of SEA committee,  helping edit the Parent Handbook (Ellen was a stickler for punctuation and spacing, a born copyeditor) and most recently, as recipe editor (with her husband Andrew, himself a professional chef) of the just-published Harbor School Cookbook.

Her energy and gusto were limitless.  She loved to describe herself as eccentric, and self-deprecatingly as a tech Luddite, offering her dry commentary on every situation with humor and sometimes caustic perspicacity. She championed the kids at every turn and worked joyously and with her usual emphatic positivity on so many occasions: at school dances, selling herself to cook a private dinner for 8 (as the professional chef she indeed was), catering and styling the banquet at the Spring Tide fundraiser, manning the grill at Summer Solstice, working on Sustainability and the Garden for  causes as varied (and variably successful) as the water bottle fountains, Earth Day celebrations, and  getting Harbor to again use real plates and cutlery, as we used to, and getting us permission to become one of the 5 Scratch Menu schools in the city (using all fresh food). We haven't gotten there yet but maybe should try yet again—for Ellen!

Ellen cared—deeply—and was not afraid to speak up for the greater good. She was a true original and, as we say in Brooklyn, had moxie to spare.  So many of us who worked with her came to love her and so are in shock and grief that she is gone. We send our deepest condolences to Rutger and Andrew, to Ellen's daughter, to her recently bereaved mother (Ellen just last week buried her own father, after he endured a long illness) and all her family. 

Let's "hold her in the light,” as the Quakers so beautifully say.  

PS  Being chefs,  Ellen's family was one of those hardest hit by the COVID crisis for the last 18 months,  so we are launching this fundraiser to help them through this difficult time. Please give what you can.
Thank you.