Ellen Newbauer passed away peacefully on June 26, 2025 at the age of 82. She was a wonderful woman, with the most beautiful cursive handwriting and a soul to match.
Ellen met Donald (Don) Newbauer, the love of her life, in elementary school. They absolutely adored each other, married when she was 21, and shared life together for the next 61 years. Throughout each season of their life, through sunshine and rainstorms, they loved and supported each other. Their love is wholeheartedly steadfast, the kind that spans lifetimes, and they have faith they will meet again. They were one in life and spirit and always will be.
Ellen is survived by her husband Don. She was the mother of three children: Paul Newbauer, Ann Wallschlaeger, and Scott Newbauer. She was the grandmother of three grandchildren: Amy Mueller, Kelly Wallschlaeger, and Kate Zurn (Jaden), and she was the great-grandmother of two great-grandchildren: Cole Mueller and Erin Mueller. She was the daughter of Alois and Dorothy Shea, sister of Karen Luciano, and aunt of Andy Luciano and Tony Luciano (Michelle).
Her family was always foremost in her heart and mind. She made our family feel like one and had a special way of making each of us feel seen, loved, and remembered. She would often send us cards, letters, and little gifts. Opening the mailbox and being greeted by her beautiful cursive handwriting on an envelope always meant the day was going to get better as we were reminded of how greatly and unconditionally we were loved.
She always told us how proud she was of us and would celebrate our big and small accomplishments alike. When we would gloss over our contributions to the world, she would uplift us and tell us how what we do and who we are matters. In doing so, she inspired us to keep going, trying, and working to leave this world better than we found it.
She gave so much and expected so little in return. She deeply respected our time and always expressed how much she appreciated every visit, call, letter, and act of support. One of the greatest gifts we could give her was a new experience with her family. She was delighted by small and big adventures alike, from returning a book to the library together to riding in a hot air balloon.
When we would all come together as a family, she always tried to make the most of it. She loved making family get togethers feel special with little traditions like playing the game of two truths and a false at Christmas, toting her bag of everyone's notebooks out year after year; or bringing a pair of bunny ears to Easter; or decorating the house in an abundance of Halloween decorations and providing costume pieces for each of us.
She always insisted on taking photos when any of us got together, even in the days when we hadn’t yet learned to appreciate those photos. And she would not only take the photos, but also print and mail us all copies, complete with captions. She understood how much those reminders would mean one day, and now we do, too.
Beyond her family, Ellen gave of herself to the community for as long as she and Don could physically do so. They were activists together, contributing to be the change they wanted to see in the world. They supported walks to cure diabetes and elections to change the course of our nation. They were pen pals to elementary students and kind faces to folks as they delivered free meals to their doorsteps. They were active members of their Unitarian Universalist church. Together, Ellen and Don taught us all how to question what we are handed, form our own beliefs and values, choose what a fulfilling life looks like to us, and find meaning in banding together with others to transform beliefs into practical actions and change.
In her final months, Ellen continued to shine a light on those around her, understanding that little gestures like remembering someone’s name can create a lot of joy. She would face the woes of this life with people and yet somehow end with the sentiment, “We have so much to be grateful for.” Such conversations with her were touching and healing.
In her personal quiet time, Ellen loved to visit the Hallmark store, searching for a little something to make someone feel loved and remembered on their birthday, a holiday, or any other little excuse she could find. She loved rummage sales, enjoying the surprise of her finds. She loved collecting metal music boxes, learning how to play sheepshead, and reminding everyone to vote. She loved wolves, Native American art, reggae music, and loons; cats, cattails, and birdwatching; puzzles, making art, and wildflowers. She was an avid reader and always in multiple book clubs. From that and her time as a medical transcriptionist, she knew so many obscure words that we often suspected her of cheating when we'd play Boggle — only to learn that her obscure words were indeed words.
We will miss seeing her handwriting show up in our mailboxes and hearing her loving voice over the phone. We will miss her beautiful white hair, her happy laugh, and her gentle touch. We will miss her three breath hugs, the way she'd wait and wave goodbye from the window, and how she always made us feel so loved. We are grateful to have known the love of such a warmhearted woman, who we will miss so much.
To express your condolences, honor Ellen’s spirit by loving those still with us as she would. Gather the love you have for her and give it to someone else — someone who will smile at the joy of being thought of and cared for. Send them a beautifully crafted card, handwrite them a letter, or call them and listen with an open heart and open mind. Knowing that her parting brought others together would make her very happy.
We will gather to honor and be grateful for Ellen on Saturday, August 2, 2025 at St. John's United Church of Christ (N104 W14181 Donges Bay Road, Germantown, WI 53022). Visitation will be from 12:00pm to 2:00pm, and the service will be held at 2:00pm.
