Ellen Grace Venters, lifesaving sister, self-sacrificing mother, and dedicated employee, dies at 96

Ellen Grace Venters, 96, formerly of Philadelphia, an older sister who reunited her four brothers after they were separated in foster care, a mother and single parent who devoted endless energy to raise her daughter, and a dedicated employee who worked at least six days a week for decades, died Friday, Feb. 25, of vascular dementia at home in Washington.

Ms. Venters’ parents were killed in a train accident when she was 14, and she and her brothers were assigned to different foster care homes. Two years later, determined to reassemble her family, she quit school after eighth grade, worked a variety of jobs, and became the primary caretaker and provider for her brothers.

“More than just their surrogate mother,” her family wrote in a tribute, “Ellen was her brothers’ superhero.”

Asked years later by her daughter, Grace Speights, how she brought her siblings back together, Ms. Venters said: “I just went and got them.”

After her daughter was born, Ms. Venters, separated from her husband, worked long hours and weekends at a drapery factory in Philadelphia to provide a home that her daughter described as “nurturing.”

“I always thought we were rich,” her daughter said. “The house was filled with so much love. She worked for minimum wage and never took a day off. It was just me and her, and she made the best of everything.”

Talented as well as tireless, Ms. Venters brought home scraps from the drapery factory and made jumpers and skirts for her daughter. She arranged for cousins and others to look after Grace and sometimes took her to work when no one was available.

All the while she instilled an appreciation for education and achievement and helped her daughter gain college scholarships and become a partner at the Morgan Lewis law firm. “I always marveled at how my mother moved through life with dignity and kindness no matter the obstacle placed in front of her,” her daughter said.

After her grandchildren, Ashley and Hank, were born, Ms. Venters retired from work and commuted for a decade between Philadelphia and Washington so she could care for them at her daughter’s home. Spending weekends in Philadelphia to attend church, check on her house, and catch up with friends, she returned to Washington during the week to serve as what the family called its “chief happy officer.”

She “was the kind of woman who contributed to making the world a much better place,” a friend said in an online tribute. Another said: “What a purposeful life.” Ms. Venters moved to Washington permanently in 1996.

Born Ellen Grace Keels in Atlantic City on April 28, 1925, she moved to Philadelphia in the 1940s and was active at Fellowship Community Wesley Methodist Church. Known as the church’s “culinary queen,” she also did its housekeeping for years and served on the scholarship committee.

“She ran the kitchen with military precision,” church leaders said in a tribute. “Sometimes you were allowed in, and sometimes you weren’t. But there was never any doubt about the love Sister Venters put into everything she did.”

A voracious reader, she also liked to garden, dance, travel, and spend time with her dogs. “She stared down life’s challenges without blinking,” her family said. “Her legacy is one that we proudly carry.”

In addition to her daughter and grandchildren, Ms. Venters is survived by other relatives. Her husband, David Venters, four brothers, and a sister died earlier.

A celebration of life is to be at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 20, at Joseph Gawler’s Sons funeral home, 5130 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016.

Donations in her name may be made to National Cathedral School, 3612 Woodley Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20016 and St. Albans School, 3001 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016.