Elna "Ellie" Lessard

May 13, 1938 - September 8, 2017
Traverse City, MI

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Service

Saturday, October 28, 2017
1:00 PM EDT
Bluewater Hall
13424 S. West Bay Shore Drive (M-22)
Traverse City, MI 49684

A luncheon will follow.

Flowers


Below is the contact information for a florist recommended by the funeral home.

Cherryland Floral
1208 S. Garfield
Traverse City, MI 49686
(231) 941-5761
Driving Directions
Web Site

Flower Station
341 W. Front St.
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 946-1742
Driving Directions
Web Site

Blossom Shop
1023 E. Eighth St.
Traverse City, MI 49686
(231) 932-9470
Driving Directions
Web Site

Lilies Of The Alley
227 E. State St - Alley
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 360-3620
Web Site

Life Story / Obituary


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“Ellie” Elna Cathryn (Christensen) Lessard

Our precious friend and Aunt, Ellie Lessard, 79, of Traverse City was reunited with her beloved husband Chuck Lessard on Friday, September 8th, 2017. Ellie passed peacefully into heaven after a sudden illness. She was an amazing powerhouse of a person, and her love and commitment to our family were her top priorities in life.

Ellie was a dynamic career woman in addition to being an amazing Aunt. She graduated from Wittenburg College and started her career as an executive secretary in the Detroit area, then spent 10 years as a policewoman in downtown Detroit investigating sex crimes and child abuse. She met her husband, Charles Lessard and moved up north to Lake City in the 70’s to be the Missaukee County Clerk, and later took over as the first Circuit Court Magistrate/Probation Officer for Missaukee County. She and Chuck later moved to Traverse City, where she assisted Chuck for several years in his position as Harbormaster of Elmwood Township Marina. She was always motivated by her passion for her careers and was a wonderful role model to her family.

In addition to being a dynamic role model, Ellie was an incredibly generous person and provided a home and financial support for her brother Niel’s family while living in Lake City. She was an active member of the Lake City Kiwanis and supported Habitat for Humanity and the Cherryland Humane Society. She has also been instrumental in helping her grandkids with their college endeavors. Ellie continued to provide emotional and financial support to her family right up to the moment she left. We will forever treasure the time we had together with her and the impact she made on our lives.

Ellie was also quite the newshound, watching at least three news programs a day, reading the daily news cover to cover, and following online news updates as well. She enjoyed spending time with her friends playing cards several days a week, taking drives around Northern Michigan, trying new restaurants and dearly loved her dog and constant companion, Pumpkin.

Ellie was a loving wife, aunt and grand-aunt who loved to spend time with her nieces, nephew and grandkids. She had a way of always making others laugh and had a smile that lit up the room. She had amazing strength and loved being surrounded by friends and family. She will be dearly missed.

Ellie is survived by her ‘children’: nieces Karen Anne Christensen (Brian) Hansz of Traverse City, Sharon Christensen (Mark) Schooley of Rives Junction, Paul Anders (Darci) Christensen of Whitehall, and by her grandkids: Drew Schooley, and Jared, Emily and Chloe Christensen, in addition to many beloved cousins and also family on Charles’s side. She was proceeded in death by her beloved husband, Charles Lessard, brother Niel Anders Christensen, sister in law Shirley Lans Christensen, sister in law Barbara Christensen, and parents Evelyn and Anders Christensen.

A celebration of Life will be held 1:00 pm, Saturday, October 28, 2017 at the Bluewater Hall, 13424 S. West Bay Shore Drive (M-22), Traverse City with a luncheon to follow. Please visit www.lifestorytc.com to sign the guestbook and share your thoughts and memories with the family.

The family chose Life Story Funeral Home, Traverse City.