Eleanor Harvey Rennie

Eleanor Harvey Rennie of Richmond, VA, passed away January 20, 2016. Predeceased by her parents, Albert Anderson and Lucy Walton Harvey; sisters, Mildred Harvey Clark and Lucille Harvey Sweeney, and loving husband, Thomas C. Rennie, Sr., Mrs. Rennie is survived by her sons, Thomas C. Rennie, Jr. (Jennifer) and Richard H. Rennie (Sandy), daughter, Nan R. Blackwell (Ed), and grandchildren, Heather R. Ashby (Rodney), Thomas C. Rennie, III (Maria), and Edward D. Blackwell, IV, and great grandchildren, Madison Kate Ashby and Christian Thomas Jackson Ashby. "Miss Ellie," as she was known, grew up in Laurel, VA. She served as President of the SCA at her elementary and high schools. Ellie received her B.A. from William and Mary (1945), where she served as President of the Women’s Student Body and Delta Delta Delta, and member of the Mortar Board and Who’s Who in American Colleges & Universities. She sponsored and christened the S.S. William and Mary (Victory) in 1945. She continued her education at R.P.I./V.C.U., where she received a Master’s in Special Education. After college Ellie worked for the State of Virginia in the Budget and Personnel Department and for the City of Richmond in Personnel Department from (1948-1950). From 1950-1961 Ellie stayed at home and raised her three children and still keeps in touch with their friends. She was a mother to everyone. She returned to the workforce from 1961-1990 as a teacher and later principal at the Richmond Cerebral Palsy Center. Ellie was a member and Sunday School teacher and supervisor at Overbrook Presbyterian Church. Ellie was also an active member of The Woman’s Club and the Ginter Park Woman’s Club, where she served as board member and 2nd Vice President. Always interested in dance, she was a member of the William and Mary Orchid’s Dance Club. She was a founding member of the Concert Ballet of Virginia (1976). She served on the board first as president and then as long-term treasurer. She served as Executive Director for the remainder of her time with the ballet, where the dancers and moms loved Miss Ellie dearly, as did the Ashe family, Randy, Kim, and Brittany, kind neighbors who helped her greatly in her later years. Ellie was a special wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She graced our lives with her strength, support, and unconditional love. Selfless, she always made people feel good about themselves. We have been blessed by her nurturing nature and faithful lead. A special thanks for the wonderful care provided by The Hermitage in Richmond, Gentiva Hospice, Bon Secours Hospice, and St. Mary’s Hospital.

The family will receive friends on Friday, January 29, 2016, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Woody Funeral Home at Rt. 301 and Shady Grove Road in Mechanicsville. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 A.M. at Overbrook Presbyterian Church, 2605 Dumbarton Rd, Henrico, Virginia, on Saturday, January 30, 2016. In lieu of flowers, family members request that gifts be made to Overbrook Presbyterian Church, the Concert Ballet of Virginia, the Samaritan Fund for The Hermitage in Richmond, or any charity of your choice.