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Ellen Elizabeth Browning ’92

A picture of Ellen Browning

Ellen Elizabeth Browning ’92, October 7, 2014, in Brooklyn, New York. Ellen was the first child of Kent and Kathy Browning, who were young and involved in school and work at the time of her birth, so that her grandparents and other family members played an important role in her early childhood. Ellen’s first 15 years were spent in Long Beach, California, where she was a gifted student, an energetic athlete, a wonderful friend to many, and a kind and caring daughter. To address serious health concerns that arose when she was 15, Ellen went to live in Maryland and eventually graduated from Sandy Springs Friends School. At Reed, she majored in history, writing a thesis, “The Appearance and Disappearance of Eastern European Jewish Immigrant Women and Their Daughters in the Labor Movement in New York, 1881–1924.” Her college years were spent in the manner of many students, says her family. She was adept at studying, working, partying, and trying to find out about life itself. Following graduation, Ellen moved to New York City, where many of her closest friends had grown up. She had a variety of interesting jobs, including that of a personal assistant to a renowned musician; a publicist for Farrar, Straus and Giroux; and head baker for the reputable Magnolia Bakery. Throughout her high school years in Maryland, her college years in Portland, and her many years in New York, Ellen made great efforts to remain connected to her family in California. She was a wonderful older sister to her brothers and sister. She also remained close with many of her Reed and Portland friends after college. Ellen met the love of her life, Edward Price, in New York. They married in April 2003 and had two children, Zachary and Louisa, to whom Ellen was devoted, caring for them full time until she became seriously ill and eventually passed away. “I lived with Ellen in Brooklyn for almost seven years before she married, and miss her very much,” writes Jessica Dunlap ’97, who worked with Ellen’s sister Laura Browning O’Boyle on the details for this memorial.

Appeared in Reed magazine: March 2015