Vorys, Ellen

ty loved the little things

1925 - 2020

Ellen Stoneman Vorys, known as “Stoney” to most, passed away very peacefully on Tuesday October 20, 2020 in Granville. Born in 1925, Ellen lived in Bexley,

Gahanna, and New Albany for most of her life. Ellen received loving support from the wonderful caring staff at Kendal at Granville for many years. Family and friends meant everything to

Stoney. Her love of family started with her college beau Nick. Their marriage of more than 60 years was the epitome of a wonderful loving lifetime partnership.

She was his business partner and staunch supporter as Nick built his medical practice and pursued his myriad clinical and business interests. Ellen was the on-site, on-demand, and on-going caregiver to their three children George,

Ann, and Fred. While Nick was the more dynamic persona, Ellen was clearly the bedrock for him, the family, and their home. Upon hearing good news from one of the kids, Nick often said, “That is the greatest thing I’ve heard since your mother said ‘yes!’” And of course, everyone wanted to come back in another life to be one of Stoney’s beloved, beautiful, and very spoiled golden retrievers - Heide,

Kelly, and all the Sandys.

Stoney always appreciated her good fortune and took the positive view for all good or bad circumstances. She had a tremendous zest for life that she readily shared. Like her sister and her father, to meet her was to have a new friend. Her welcoming smile, light and lively eyes, and warm and gracious manner made for immediate and long-lasting personal friendships.

Stoney had many life-long friends from the Columbus

School for Girls (1943) where representing the

Gold team and school she played field hockey and tennis. Her Smith College (1947) suite mates remained lifelong friends, in particular her roommate whom Stoney introduced to her future husband, Nick’s high school and college buddy. Stoney was active in many organizations and cultivated many lasting friendships along the way, including in Twig III,

Junior League, the Garden

Club, and the Board of the

Columbus School for Girls.

Ever the athlete, she always enjoyed joining friends at

Columbus Country Club golf outings (well into her 80s), tennis matches at Rocky

Fork, and on her “ladies’ ski trips” to Colorado. Ellen especially loved Broad

Street Presbyterian Church, where she was a member her entire life and served as a Deacon and Elder.

She was very proud that five generations of her family have been, and still are, members of BSPC.

After being introduced to

“the Grey Lady” Nantucket

Island by her mother in the 1960’s, Stoney fell in love with its simple charm. The family started at a cottage -- “the House that Jack

Built” -- built for six, but the

Vorys and Osmun cousins smuggled and snuggled ten people inside for eight weeks. That began five plus decades of summer and autumn residence for both families as well as the

Minister cousins. She loved sharing her months of simple, carefree island life with family and friends. Ellen is survived by her sons,

George Nichols Vorys and

Frederic Stoneman Vorys (Anne Marie Sferra); her grandsons, George Christian Vorys, Kyle Nichols

Vorys, and Frank T. Vorys; as well as her nieces and nephews, Shelly Osmun

Baranowski, David Osmun (Brigitta), Marion Osmun,

Paige Minister Yates, Courtney Minister Hanig (Marco),

Thorp Minister III, and Mark

Minister. Those that preceded Ellen in death are her parents Frederic Francis

Stoneman and Marion

Smith Stoneman, her sister

Ann Stoneman Osmun and

Ann’s husband Robert, her husband Nichols Vorys, her daughter Ann Stoneman

Vorys, her sister-in-law Marianne Vorys Minister, and her nephew-in-law Edwin

Michael Baranowski. A

“virtual” service will be held on Sunday, November 1.

The web link will be posted on Ellen’s web page at the

Schoedinger Northeast web site (https://www. schoedinger.com/obituaries/ellen-vorys/). To substitute for calling hours during this pandemic we ask that you raise your glass at your next cocktail hour and wish

Stoney well on her journey.

She would appreciate that.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Broad

Street Presbyterian Church (https://bspc.org/donate/).