Ellen Ervin

Ellen Williams Ervin, age 90, of Kennett Square, died suddenly on June 12, 2021. She was the wife of the late Thomas Dardis who died in 2001.

Born in Bala Cynwyd, PA, she was a daughter of the late Spencer and Miriam Williams (Roberts) Ervin, the fifth of six children, Miriam, Katharine, Louise, Virginia, Ellen, and Spencer.

Ellen graduated from the Agnes Irwin School in 1948. She spent two years at Carleton College and got her B.A. in 1952 from the University of Pennsylvania in History. She earned her Ph.D. in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures from Columbia University. She lived in Kennett Square and Philadelphia, PA and New York City and East Setauket, NY. She also traveled and lived in Athens, Greece; Rome, Italy; and Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey.

She worked as a teacher of English to speakers of other languages, as Acting Director of Courses at U.S. Information Services in Ankara, as Research Assistant Professor of Turkish at New York University, and as a Computer Systems Analyst for the Department of Transportation in New York City. Volunteer activities included Alcohol Addiction Services and English language teaching.

Ellen had an unquenchable intellect and recently kept up with reading in three book clubs. At Crosslands in Kennett Square, where she lived from 2018 to 2021, she helped residents run many Zoom meetings for worship, activities, and clubs during the Covid-19 pandemic. She is remembered as a generous, kind, interesting, and interested person who was a friend to many, as well as a friend to her friends’ children and grandchildren.

Surviving her are her stepchildren Francis Dardis of Portland, OR, Anne Dardis of Manhattan, NY, and Anthony Dardis of Brooklyn, NY, as well as siblings Miriam Caskey, of Athens, Greece, and Spencer Ervin of Kennett Square, and many nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and great-great nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial reception at the home of her niece, Margaret Ervin at noon on July 17. Memorial donations may be made to the Wheaten Terrier Rescue http://www.wheatenterrierrescue.org/AngelProgram.html and Carleton College https://www.carleton.edu/giving/methods/ . Arrangements are by Matthew Grieco of Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory Inc. (1-800-FUNERAL).  Condolences may be expressed through www.griecofunerals.com

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