Maggie Ellsworth

Margaret Fogel Ellsworth died January 13, 2014, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut, after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer and leukemia. She was 61 and had lived with her husband of 22 years, Michael Ellsworth, in the North End of Bridgeport for the past eight years. Maggie, as she was known to her legions of friends, was born in New York City on April 28, 1952, to Benjamin and Helen Fogel, and raised in Westport. She graduated from Staples High School and attended Syracuse University and the University of Arizona, where she studied nursing and child development. A talented chef, she worked in a number of French restaurants, including the Palace, a five-star restaurant in Manhattan; the Homestead in Greenwich; and Chez Pierre in Westport. Before moving to Bridgeport, she and her husband lived for many years in Wilton. Much of Maggie's time in recent years was spent volunteering with the Red Cross and as a tutor in the computer lab at Mercy Learning Center. Mercy was near and dear to Maggie. She went back to volunteer briefly as late as this past November and over the last several months raised significant funds for the Center. Maggie was also a long-time friend of Bill Wilson's, through which she served as a sponsor and an inspiration to many area women. She loved her family, her friends, her dogs and her God.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her mother; a brother, Donald, of Houston, Texas, and his wife, Jacquie, and their children, Michael, Annie and Madeline; two sisters, Jane Fogel of Stamford and Celia Strong of Charleston, South Carolina, and her husband, Dale; three children from her husband's previous marriage, to whom she was a devoted mother: Adam Ellsworth of New Haven, Ethan Ellsworth of San Diego, California, and Grace Ellsworth of Juneau, Alaska; and a grandson, Lucas Ellsworth of San Diego. She was predeceased by her father. Friends may call from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 16, at Spear Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield. Services will be held on Friday, 10 a.m., at First Presbyterian Church, 2475 Easton Turnpike, Fairfield. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Maggie's name be sent to Mercy Learning Center, 637 Park Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604 (www.mercylearningcenter.org).