Ellen Marie (Core) Perry, 83, of Bellefontaine, passed away at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, in the Campbell Place, Bellefontaine.
She was born in Bellefontaine on Jan. 31, 1937, the daughter of the late Edward Knight Sr. and Dorothy Louise (Webster) Core.
On March 20, 1965, she married James Perry in Charlotte, Mich., and he preceded her in death. In addition to her parents and husband, she is also preceded in death by two brothers: Edward Knight Core, Jr. and Robert Webster Core, and a brother-in-law, Ron Wisse.
She is survived by her two daughters, Laura A. (Vinh) Nguyen of Menifee, Calif., and Lisa M. Perry of Columbus, two granddaughters; Victoria and Vanessa Nguyen, a sister, Nancy Jane Wisse of Bellefontaine, a sister-in-law, Joyce Core of Rushsylvania, several nieces and nephews, and numerous other family and friends along with her Campbell Place friends.
Ellen obtained her undergrad degree in Music at Ohio Northern University and her Master of Education with a concentration in Special Education at Michigan State University. She worked as preschool teacher for blind and visually impaired children in the Columbus Public Schools for 30+ years, where she was only one of two teachers in the state.
She taught and wrote music for her students and wrote and created the entire curriculum for her classroom. She loved the music of Frank Sinatra, Josh Groban, Barry Manilow, Thomas Boone and she loved Disney; her favorite was the piano player in the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland. She traveled around the world with her mother and multiple nieces and nephews and was nominated for the Disney Teacher Award and was flown to Hollywood, Calif., for the award show.
Ellen loved Valentine’s Day and loved to cut out and decorate hearts to give to loved ones. She enjoyed creating lighted decorative holiday baskets. She sang in a trio (acapella) with her sister, Nancy and sister-in-law, Joyce.
Due to COVID-19, all services will be conducted privately. Masks requested.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Ohio State School for the Blind, 5220 N High St., Columbus, OH 43214 or to The Women’s Heart Alliance by visiting https://www.womensheartalliance.org/donate/
Eichholtz Daring & Sanford Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Bellefontaine, is honored to serve the Perry family and encourages anyone to share a fond memory or message of condolence at www.edsfh.com