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Ellen Read Leeds Sturges, a lifelong Southport resident, died Feb. 8 at the age of 71, after a seven-year bout with cancer. Sturges was an interior designer by trade but was also an avid singer, sportswoman and gardener.
Sturges was born July 19, 1939, in New York City, and grew up in Southport. Her family tree laid claim to two pieces of local history. She was a descendent of Thomas Hooker, founder of the Connecticut Colony. And her great-grandfather was David Read, namesake of Bridgeport fixture Reads Department Store.
After graduating from the Unquowa School, Sturges attended St. Mary's in the Mountains (now the White Mountain School) in Littleton, N.H., Bennett Junior College in Millbrook, N.Y., and did further undergraduate liberal arts studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
She was married to Jeremy Norton Sturges for 10 years. During that time, she worked at the Junior League of Bridgeports Hobby Horse Shop and the International Institute of Bridgeport. She began her career in interior design in the 1970s at Ann Ward's Ivy Shop in Southport. She later founded her own company, Ellen Leeds Interiors.
Outside of her work, she was a member of two singing groups, The Pitch Pipers and A Touch of Class. With those groups, she performed at many charity events, including twice for President Reagan at the White House. She was regarded by her fellow members as the instinctively best pitch harmonizer and provided guitar accompaniment.
Sturges loved the outdoors, specifically canoeing, skiing, and hiking through the Appalachians. She was also a member of the Garden Club of Fairfield and was passionate about her garden. She spent much time around her home setting shrubbery and planting and maintaining flowers.
She is survived by six first cousins, as well as her former brother-in-law, longtime close friend and devoted companion of 17 years, David Kountze Sturges of Southport. There are no calling hours, and burial was private. Sturges will be honored with a memorial service for her family and friends on May 22 at her home. Memorial donations are encouraged to the Ellen Read Leeds Sturges Memorial Fund established with the Yale School of Medicine, Department of Gynecology/ Oncology, % Renee Luongo, 333 Cedar St,. New Haven, CT 06520.
Did you know Ellen Read Leeds Sturges? Share your memories in the comments below.
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