Ellen Trey Lantz

Ellen Trey Lantz: It was 13 years ago that I first met Ellen whereby she greeted me in her true caring nutritionist/dietitian self with some food. We sat down to commemorate Canada Day with a delicious cake. Ellen has taught me a lot about how to eat well and it is through her and her brother's (my husband George) love of good eating that I have learned to like salads good cheese and apples. These were the staples of our earlier time together. Given that Ellen has always had a passion and knowledge of a wide variety of food it has been with her that I have had the opportunity to open my eyes to the diversity of eating styles and habits in the world. George and I became vegetarian and although Ellen did not follow that course she continued to offer us sound advice on proper nutrition and enjoyed romping with us to a variety of ethnic restaurants and cookbooks.

I owe the healthy 9 pound weight of our daughter Rebekah to Ellen who saw to it that George followed a nutritionally sound eating pattern for me during my pregnancy and beyond. Ellen has always been concerned about our health and feels that eating well plays a big part in ones overall well being. This is one of Ellen's talents: she lives what she believes. She knows a good deal about food and does not just keep her knowledge on the job but passes it on to all whom she feels can benefit from her wisdom and ideas.

Ellen's talents do not stop with food she is very committed to her religious beliefs and is an avid reader seamstress cross-stitch maker and gardener. She loves to delve into a wide variety of hobbies and is always interested in pop culture and learning from it rather then fearing it. Ellen has a unique ability to live within a traditional framework while at the same time embracing modern technology and learning from people who are different than her. I believe this is one of the reasons why she has done well when working with persons who come from a cultural background which is different than hers: she has the ability to look outside of herself with a keen respectful interest in wanting to learn from others.

Ellen and I have always been very close. There are a variety of reasons for this but in large part it is due to Ellen's gentle nature and her ability to critically assess her own being while consistently being sensitive to the needs of those around her. Ellen is my older sister and a person I enjoy having in that role because she is sensitive caring and has a good style of making people feel special. I love Ellen very much and I want to bestow this brick upon her because I believe that Ellen has a lot to offer and has only just begun in her trek of giving to this world. Ellen is one of the most intelligent women I know she is not only a solid teacher but a fine writer. It is my hope that eventually she has the financial stability to turn to writing because I believe that she could write many a fine novel which her nieces and nephews would only be too happy to delve into. Whatever Ellen has done and will continue to do she will do with an uncanny ability of grace and love for that is what her presence in my life has demonstrated that despite not always agreeing with one's lifestyle she does always embrace you with love. Thanks Ellen for your presence and for continuing this road of life with all of us.

11/19/1996