Fleur Blanche

In memory of

Ellen Lougheed

1948 - 2026

Ellen Lougheed
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Ellen Margaret Lougheed

March 1948 - February 2026

 

Ellen Margaret Lougheed’s heart gave out one month before her 78th birthday, on February 20, 2026. She lived a full and long life with a severe physical disability since childhood.

Ellen was predeceased by her mother, Elsie Sorensen Lougheed (Montreal, Quebec) and father Dr. Marvin Norman Lougheed, (Roanoke, Virginia). Her passing is mourned by her 5 siblings, Mel (Sandy Matheson), Donna, Kendall (Jill Austin), Jill (Sydney Reynolds), Sean (Kathleen Lennon),  two step-siblings, Joyce Thornhill (Josh Gotbaum) and Hugh Thornhill (Laura Thornhill), her step-mother Carole Lougheed, 10 nieces and nephews and 17 grand-nieces and nephews.

Ellen was born in Montreal.  She developed Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at age 2 ½, and fought constantly against its constraints, as well as the constraints imposed by society, in those days when people with disabilities had few options and faced exclusion.

Ellen attended the Mackay School for Deaf and Crippled Children in Montreal (Grade 1), Macdonald Elementary School and Macdonald High School in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, St Helen’s School for Girls in Dunham, Quebec, and Westmount High School in Montreal.

She graduated from Sir George Williams University (now Concordia) with a BA, and later obtained an MA in Social Work from McGill University—also earning a standing ovation as she crossed the stage in her electric wheelchair to obtain her degree.

She lived on her own from the age of 26, thanks to support from her family and then later Ontario’s Self-Directed Health at Home Program, which enabled people with disabilities to manage their own home care services, giving them control over who provides care, when and how - a model that suited Ellen to a tee.

Ellen will be remembered for her zest for life, wanting to live to 103! She loved people and never failed to stop and say hello. She was out day and night in her chair, summer or winter, and seemed to know everyone in the Hintonburg community. She loved her helper dogs, Trixie and Tilly, who provided her with independence both at home and in the community.  She also loved her many cats and budgies.

Unfortunately her multiple health issues, including dementia, caught up with her. Her time at Salvation Army Grace Manor was a challenge, after having had so much independence in her life.  Ellen went to hospital with chest pain and unfortunately died on February 20th, 2026 at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

Many thanks to all her helpers over the years, but with special thanks to Tammy and her husband Paul (now deceased), the ER staff, doctors of the Ottawa Heart Institute and to Dr. Sellers of the Centretown Community Health Centre.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind or Ottawa Community Immigrant Services (OCISO) would be appreciated. 

There will be a Celebration of Life honouring Ellen on Sunday, May 24th, 2026 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Hintonburg Community Centre, 1064 Wellington Street West, Ottawa, ON., K1Y 2Y3

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Sympathy Messages

I was very sorry to lean of Ellen's death. I first met Ellen in 1991, when she moved into Abiwin Co-operative, where I was a resident and member of the board of directors. Within four months of joining the community, Ellen had become an active member of the board herself. She went on to serve as president for several years, a role in which she showed herself adept at handling difficult and sensitive matters concerning the members and staff. Ellen became Abiwin's representative to the Co-operative Housing Association of Eastern Ontario, joining the association's board in 1992 and serving in several different capacities there until 1997, including a term as president. From CHASEO she was nominated to serve on the board of directors of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, where I was employed as Executive Director. While a director with us, she became chair of our newly formed Diversity Committee, which worked to address issues facing those who might feel disenfranchised within the co-operative housing movement. That led, among other things, to her teaching a course for conference delegates on disability issues and how to deal with those issues in their housing co-operatives. Ellen brought to all of her roles in the co-operative housing movement a genuine interest in and compassion for others, a deep knowledge of the barriers and challenges facing people with disabilities and a keen interest in diversity more broadly, including the realities of life for new Canadians and low-income families. She spoke freely and frankly about her own experience as a person with disabilities, always doing so in a way that was simultaneously engaging and enlightening. Over the time that I watched her involvement with the co-operative housing movement, I noticed her ease and ability in dealing with people of varied backgrounds and personalities. She consistently displayed integrity and strong ethical values. A person of strong conviction, she was an advocate by necessity, motivated by her own needs yes, but by a desire to help others as well.

- Alexandra Wilson, on March 12, 2026

Ellen will be remembered for her years of dedicated service to the co-operative housing movement. As Abiwin’s representative to CHASEO, she joined the association’s board in 1992 and served in a variety of leadership roles until 1997, including a term as president. Her passion, commitment, and dedication to the co-op movement made a lasting impression on many, and her legacy will continue to be felt throughout the co-operative community. Jovette Fournier, Executive Director CHASEO

- Jovette Fournier, Executive Director , on April 1, 2026

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