Eleanor "Ellie" Unruh was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Roy and Ragna Unruh on January 30, 1939. She had an adventurous spirit and pursued a teaching career that allowed her to live around the world. She earned a Bachelor's degree from Central Missouri State College and a Master's degree from University of Missouri in Kansas City. She taught in Maine and then became a teaching missionary in Papua, New Guinea. For the rest of her career, Ellie taught elementary school for the Department of Defense Overseas School system. She especially enjoyed working with first and second graders. She taught in Germany, Italy, Iceland, and Japan.

Ellie enjoyed watching and engaging in sports: skiing, swimming, tennis, and golf. She was artistic, specializing in painting and pottery. She studied art in each place she lived by taking local art classes.

Ellie had a generous, caring nature. She had many good friends, several of whom she retired with in Sierra Vista, Arizona. She spent nearly 30 years in Arizona participating in a dynamic community of friendship. She was a devoted member of Sierra Evangelical Lutheran Church. She sang in the choir, visited home bound members, and enjoyed many Church activities.

She loved nature and feeding her birds, whether it was in Sierra Vista or Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she spent her last two years living near her niece Karen.

Eleanor is survived by her brother John Unruh (Ann), her nieces Sarah Grissom (Adam) and Karen Sorensen-Unruh (Clarissa), her great nephew John Sorensen-Unruh, and her great nieces Eleanor Grissom and Beatrice Grissom.