Ellen Camin died peacefully at home on the beautiful, moonlit night of Aug. 24, 2010.

She was born Sept. 24, 1935 in Sacramento, Calif. to Albert S. and Emily B. Weaver, the oldest of five children.

As a young girl, Ellen’s life was influenced by her parents’ love of the outdoors; her childhood was filled with horseback riding, hiking and visiting Lake Tahoe.

At age 16 she had polio, and this experience only intensified her determination and independence. She lived a full and active life; playing tennis, hiking in the Cascades, traveling to Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and Alaska. Her love of nature and her stewardship of the earth were integral to her character.

Ellen graduated from Stanford University in 1957.

She met George Ghilarducci there, and they married in 1959, moving to Tacoma to raise a family.

In 1973, she and George trekked across central Asia and the Middle East, and this sparked an interest in yoga, meditation and philanthropy that lasted throughout the rest of her life.

In 1975, she obtained a master’s degree in social work from the University of Washington and became an administrator at a mental health agency. She later founded the Tacoma Area Living Lightly Association, co-founded Cascadia Revolving Loan Fund, served on the board of In Context magazine, became involved with the Chinook Learning Center (now Whidbey Institute), and joined the philanthropic Threshold Foundation.

After the death of George in 1989, Ellen moved to Whidbey Island, where she briefly served as director of Chinook.

In 1995, she married Bernie Camin. With Bernie, Ellen’s life was composed of circles within circles within circles. There were several spiritual circles, the Sacramento circle, the Stanford circle, the Tahoe circle, the Tacoma circle, the Whidbey Island circle. Within each of these, she formed very deep relationships and friendships, many of which lasted her entire life.

She came into this life believing that she needed to DO in order to “help the world,” and she actually did so very, very many things in this lifetime.

Ultimately, the testament to her life is not what she accomplished, but in her being with people, with her children, with her siblings, her grandchildren, her two husbands, and her many, many friends. She innately touched people very deeply, and they touched her. Even toward the end, she had little private conversations with many, including beautiful moments with each of her seven grandchildren.

She was beloved by all whose lives she touched. She left a body of written words as well as a very meaningful body of paintings, which toward the end reflected a conflicted soul.

Conflicted as to what she had accomplished, and conflicted by the cancer that was consuming her. She is now at peace. Ultimately, as much as she accomplished, she will be missed for who she was and who she loved, and by whom she was loved.

She is survived by her husband, Bernie Camin; her three children, John (Denise), Emily (Tim Panzer) and George (Kelly) Ghilarducci; seven grandchildren; two stepchildren, Evan (Stacy) Caminker and Lisa Zolle; and four step-grandchildren. After viewing at home, she will be cremated.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 3, at Mountain View Funeral Home in Tacoma.