Ellen Ann Rich, formerly of St. Louis, passed away in Dallas on February 8, 2022.

Beloved wife of William Rich; dear mother of Beth Elaine Wood (Ethan) and Jason Nathaniel Rich (Erika); loving grandmother of Asher and River Wood and Kyla and Claire Rich; dear daughter of the late Albert Smith and the late Bernice Resnick Smith. Dear friend to many.

Ellen was born in St. Louis, Missouri on November 1, 1946. She graduated from University City High School in 1964. She later graduated from Wichita State University with a degree in Psychology and magna cum laude from the University of Texas at Dallas with an MS in Early Childhood Intervention.

She met William (Bill) Rich in 1968 in St. Louis and they married on March 23, 1969. They would have celebrated their 53rd anniversary next month. They moved to Minneapolis in July 1969 then to Dallas in 1977, where they remained. Ellen spent many years as an educator working with families with children with developmental disabilities and was passionate about her work. She was devoted to her children and grandchildren – travelling to Los Angeles often to visit Beth and her family and locally in Dallas to visit Jason and his family.

Two years ago, Ellen was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and also has been a Type 1 diabetic since childhood. She was actively involved with the ALS Foundation, the American Diabetes Association and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Memorial contributions to those organizations are preferred.

Private graveside service in St. Louis. BERGER MEMORIAL SERVICE