Ellen moved to Five Oaks from Woodcroft in 2002. The new Manager, Josh was hired by Five Oaks about the same time, and she walked over to the Clubhouse to welcome him, and ask if she could help in any way in the office ~~ stuff envelopes or anything! *Anything* proved to be quite a lot of *everything*. She volunteered full-time for four (4) years, and then put on the payroll. Ellen had retired from a busy pleasant New Jersey law firm after thirty (30) years, and applied her amazing talents to her work at Five Oaks.
There was nothing going on at the Clubhouse in the way of social activity. But it didn’t take too long to have a bustling Clubhouse with Bunco, Bingo, Poker, Knitting Classes, Waltz Classes, Tricky Tray, Gold Nights, Pot Lucks, Garage Sales, a List Serve, Dog Park, Breakfast on Beechnut, Pizza Parties & Holiday Parties ~~ even published a Five Oaks cookbook for the benefit of our Swim Team.
Our Community is a delightful one. Ellen has been blessed with good neighbors, as well as a Townhouse on the Lake. She enjoyed the wildlife that visits our lake, and had fun reporting about them through the many years on the Listserve that she created before the days of Nextdoor.
She was asked to say something interesting about herself for this website and stated:
“I was a ballroom dancer for thirty (30 years); maintained a dance telephone service called *Dial A Dance* (where to go dancing), and published a dance newspaper called *Footprints*. Through the years I have been asked which dance was my favorite ~~ Quickstep, with the Waltz a close second. I was obsessed! ”
We will always cherish the years of service that Ellen gave to her community. Her spirit lives on in all of the successful events, programs and processes that she created.