Marion Ellen Solomon

Ellen Solomon, 93, a resident of Luverne, Alabama, passed away peacefully at Lake Haven Assisted Living Facility on Friday, March 17th, 2023. Funeral services for Ellen will be held at 2 PM on Monday, March 20th, at the Luverne United Methodist Church with Rev. Brennan Peacock officiating. Interment will follow in Rutledge Cemetery with Turners Funeral Home of Luverne directing. The family will receive friends at the church on Monday for one hour prior to the service.

Ellen was a native of Luverne, having been both born and raised here. She was a proud member of Luverne High School Class of 1947. She then went on be a cheerleader at Troy State Teachers College while she earned her bachelor's degree in 1951. Ellen went back to Troy State to further her education through the graduate school in 1957. She earned her master's degree and also had further certification in supervision/administration and special education. Ellen was an exemplar to subsequent generations of women in how much they could accomplish through higher education.

Ellen's first teaching job was at A.C. Moore School in Atmore, before she began teaching third grade at the Lab School in Troy from 1957 to 1971. After the Lab School closed, Ellen was asked to accept a job with the Troy City Schools and the Emergency Assistant Program, coordinating the integration of teachers. She also served as coordinator of the textbook committee and later became the Special Education coordinator. She finally retired from public education in 1987, only to spend a brief time teaching at Crenshaw Christian Academy. Ellen leaves behind an indelible legacy through the hundreds of students' lives she touched and made better.

She also served on the library board in Luverne for many years, and devoted her time and her heart to the Luverne United Methodist Church. Ellen was not only an avid reader, but also a gifted writer. She wrote "The Planted Seed" about her life as a teacher, and she co-authored "500 West Third" with her beloved brother, Jack.

Although she never married or had children of her own, children were always Ellen's greatest joy. Whether it was teaching, sponsoring local ball teams (and actually showing up to watch them play), volunteering in her church, or making many trips to Tallassee to see the Solomon children perform or play ball, children were never far from her heart or life. Ellen was a dedicated daughter, sister, aunt, niece, and cousin who always put her family first in her life. She took care of her mama and her aunt, Julie, for many years, and spent a significant amount of time with her cousins, Eleanor and Glenda. Truth be told, they were the real Golden Girls!

After retiring from education, Ellen continued the tradition of running the Solomon store behind the family home on West Third Street in Luverne. By the time she "inherited it," she mostly sold Pepsi Colas and candy to the neighborhood children. She finally decided to give it up when the Alabama Department of Revenue adopted an automated sales tax system which required her to "shut all the doors and close the blinds to concentrate enough to call her report in correctly." After that, she just fully enjoyed her life, but especially her final years at Lake Haven. She truly thrived while living in Dr. Pat and Miss Sandy's place. She said it was the best place ever and she definitely had the best caregivers possible there.

Ellen was preceded in death by her parents, Marion Hix & Lucy Hill Payne Solomon; brother, Jack Payne Solomon; niece, Jackie Solomon Payne; sister-in-law, Olivia Pienezza Solomon; aunt, Mary Julia McVay; and cousins, Eleanor Boswell, Dixon Boswell, and Glenda Boswell. She is survived by her niece, Suzannah Solomon (Darrell) Wilson; nephew, Will (Leah) Solomon; great-nephews, Payne & Hayden Solomon; cousin, Elizabeth Pope; cousin-in-law, Linda Boswell; the daughter of her heart, Tina Lowery; and a host of relatives, caregivers, and friends who loved her.

While Ellen loved receiving flowers from friends, but she loved children more so those wishing to remember her are encouraged to make a donation in her memory to the children's department of Luverne United Methodist Church or the children's section of the Luverne Public Library.