Ellen R. Rubenstein

This obituary was lovingly written by Ellen herself and supplemented by her family.

Ellen deeply loved her family and wished them a lifetime filled with happiness and joy.

Ellen was born in Ashland, Oregon, daughter of loving parents, Robert and Rae. She attended South Eugene High School and later studied journalism and business at the University of Oregon and New York University. She pledged Gamma Phi Beta at the University of Oregon.

Ellen married her first husband in 1965 and had two children, Eric and Catherine ‘Cathy’.  She adored her grandchildren and described them as smart, creative, and delightful.  She is survived by her daughter, her brother, and other loving family members.

Ellen started her retail career as an assistant manager of women’s sportswear in Macy’s in downtown San Francisco. After moving to L.A., she worked as department store manager of cosmetics at Macy’s, then joined a brand-new store, Bullocks Del Amo (L.A.) in 1967 as assistant buyer of women’s sportswear. Ellen went on to become a longtime buyer for Kaufman’s in Eugene.

In 1981, Ellen married Robert (‘Bob’), the love of her life. They shared passions for travel, dining, and retail, and spent countless joyful moments laughing and cooking together. Bob was the son of Nathanel (Nate) and Molly. He had 3 brothers, Gary, Joe, and Larry. His family immigrated from Poland. Bob served 2 years in the US Navy on a submarine tender based in San Diego and had two children from his previous marriage.

Between them they had several retail stores. Bob had “Rubenstein’s” furniture, Ellen had “Ellen’s”, a women’s clothing shop in Eugene, Oregon and later in Portland. Together they opened and ran an “Expressions” furniture store in Arizona. Ellen published Your Specialty Store…How to Start and Run a Money Making Store in 1998. Together they published a cookbook, Five Star Cuisine… at Home in 2012. Ellen did all the photography in the book and Bob was the inspiration behind the recipes. Ellen created a website and an email newsletter based on the cookbook.

Ellen loved clothing and fashion, art, retail, writing travel, and Bob’s cooking. She really enjoyed working with people. She worked in the retail clothing field for 46 years and loved producing her fashion shows at the Country Club in Eugene with delightful ‘models’ from the community. She was an active member in PEO, a women’s philanthropic organization, of which her mother and grandmother were also members. She spent summers at the family cabin throughout her life and had so many special moments on the dock, under the stars.

One thing Ellen will most be remembered for was her constant positive attitude and optimistic outlook. She was full of good energy and modeled how to live life in a positive way. While she will be missed dearly, we know that she is eating well and laughing as she joins her son and husband on whatever comes next.

She does not want a funeral or celebration.