Eleanor (Ellie) Krohne Weisenbach

Eleanor (Ellie) Krohne Weisenbach passed away on December 31, 2022. She lived on her own terms and died as she would have liked, quickly and without pain.

Ellie loved three things: family, friends and learning. Born on August 6, 1939, in New York City, Ellie was the daughter of Heinrich and Erna Krohne, who had come to the United States from Germany to start a new life. The three of them created a large extended family, made up of close friends, while also maintaining close connections with their family abroad.

Ellie grew up in a culture of immigrants and working-class people and this was always a part of who she was, even after she started high school in Manhattan at the age of 13. She attended Hunter College High School, and the experience changed her life. It was at Hunter College that she was exposed to the world of possibilities.

She graduated from City College of New York. Soon after, she married Robert Weisenbach, with whom she moved to Cincinnati, where their daughter Kirsten was born. Eventually, they settled Seattle, where their daughter Ingrid was born. It was in Seattle that Ellie started her long and enjoyable career in education. First as a teacher, then as a principal.

Ellie taught for more than 20 years in Seattle public schools. After her divorce, she taught in Tunis, Tunisia, from 1980 to 1982. Upon returning to the United States, she got her master’s degree and became a principal, starting that part of her career at Oakville Elementary School.

After she retired, Ellie returned to teaching, tutoring for more than 20 years at Bush School and Seattle Central College. She tutored up to the very end – it was a job that gave her great joy and she learned as much from her students as she taught them. She would tailor her lessons to their backgrounds and life circumstances, incorporating their own stories in the process.

Ellie also took classes at Seattle Central College, the University of Washington and the Lifetime Learning Center. Conversations with her always included a bit about what she was studying, the news of the day, the books she was reading, politics, almost every topic. She was inquisitive and would ask how you were doing, what you were doing, really wanting to know.

She was constantly exploring and learning. She traveled around the world, visiting many places in North America and more than 30 countries in Central and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as making it to Australia and India. New technology did not scare her – she bought her first computer in 1982, not knowing what she would do with it, but wanting to play with it and see what it offered. She got a smartphone in her 70s, was an avid texter on various platforms, and Zoomed all through COVID.

Ellie loved her daughters, but her grandsons brought her immense joy and happiness. She doted on them, sharing with them her love of travel and culture, and slipping them an occasional $20 when their parents weren’t looking. She was so proud of them.

Ellie (and her buoyant laugh) will live on and be remembered by Kirsten and Greg Clark (Bellevue, Wa.), Ingrid Weisenbach and Cynthia Ramsay (North Vancouver, BC), Brian Clark, Laura Graham and their son Ladd (Wilsonville, Or.), Cameron Clark and Kayla Nolan (Seattle, Wa.), the rest of her family and her many friends.

Donations in her memory may be made to Seattle Central College. At https://foundation.seattlecolleges.edu/givenow, choose the designation Supporting Students (scholarships, tutors, mentors, advisors) and tick the Tribute Gift section, putting Ellie’s name in the space provided. To donate by check, indicate in the memo line that the gift is in honor of Eleanor Weisenbach and mail it to Seattle Colleges Foundation, PO Box 20069, Seattle, WA 98102.