Ella Elizabeth DeMers, 89, of Woolwich, passed away peacefully in her home on May 17, following her beloved husband Edward by seven years to the day. She was a gifted teacher and writer and a beloved parent.
Mrs. DeMers was born April 24, 1917, in Bridgeport, Conn. She graduated at the top of her class from Central High School and went on to earn a B.A. from Central Connecticut State University and a Masters degree from NYU and Yale. She had a distinguished career as an English teacher, spending 36 years with the Westport, Conn. schools; including many years as head of the English Department at Long Lots Junior High School, where in the late sixties she pioneered the use of linguistics in the classroom. She spoke around the country about the application of linguistics in teaching grammar and wrote a linguistically oriented spelling book for McGraw Hill. Her love of literature and teaching created many special bonds between Mrs. DeMers and her students, which continued through the years. She was a member of the Connecticut Retired Teachers Association, the National Education Association, and the National Association of Teachers of English.
In 1947, she married Edward William DeChamplain DeMers in Bridgeport, Conn. The couple made their home in Bridgeport and then Trumbull, Conn. They were active members of the Golden Hill United Methodist Church, where they had many friends. After retiring, the couple moved to Bath in 1983, where they joined the United Church of Christ Congregational.
Mrs. DeMers retired from teaching in 1973 to spend more time with her husband. They divided their time between a home above the Kennebec River in Bath and a summer home on Lake Sunapee in N.H., where their children and grandchildren visited on many happy occasions.
Mrs. DeMers was proud of her Hungarian heritage and spoke Hungarian fluently. She wrote the young adult novel, A Prince from Transylvania, as a tribute to that heritage and to her happy childhood growing up in a Hungarian-American community. She was a long-standing member of the Hungarian-American Federation.
She is survived by a son, Tom DeMers and wife Nora of Longmont, Col; daughter, Susanna Liller and husband Robin P. of Woolwich; three grandchildren, Stephen Card, Laurel Card, and Elena DeMers; several nieces and nephews; and her beloved cat, Marmelade.
Memorial service 2 p.m., Sun., May 21 at the United Church of Christ Congregational, Congress St., Bath.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the United Church of Christ, 150 Congress Ave., Bath, ME 04530.
Arrangements are by Mayo, Curtis & Hill Funeral Home, 819 High St., Bath.
