Mrs. Ellene Terrell Bentley Nash passed from this life on Friday, March 26, 2010 at age 86. The beloved wife of Dr. Homer E. Nash, Jr. had been cared for at Barnes-Jewish Extended Care for the past 18 months and died peacefully in her sleep.
Ellene was born on October 10, 1923 in Memphis, Tennessee, the second daughter of Albert Percy Bentley and Willa Mae Brown. The family moved to Chicago, Illinois and later to Columbus, Ohio. Ellene completed elementary and high school in Columbus and attended Ohio State University for one year before transferring to Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee where she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Pi Chapter. She completed her undergraduate degree in Education at Fisk and a Masters Degree in Library Science at Atlanta University.
Over the years Ellene was active in her community as a board member for Nursery Foundation, as a Girl Scout Troop Leader, as the first black woman officer of the Girl Scout Council of Greater St. Louis Board of Directors, as a member and leader of St. Ann’s Guild of All Saints Episcopal Church, and as a volunteer with the Page Park YMCA (now Monsanto YMCA) Junior Kindergarten program. She was a member of the St. Louis Links, Inc., the St. Louis Smart Set and the St. Louis Chapter of the Girl Friends, Inc. She was also an avid bridge player with the Tally Ho and The Clique clubs.
Ellene is preceded in death by her parents, Willa Mae “Jo” and A. P. Bentley and her sisters Maezie Hill and Erma Williams. She is survived by her husband, Homer E. Nash, Jr.; cousin, Irin Collier; sisters-in-law, Helen Nash and Dorothy Nash Shack; her daughters and sons-in-law, Terrell Ellene (Steve) Mann, Sherry Heard, Lauren (Leo) Ming, Alison Nash (Clarence Dula) and Tracey Nash-Huntley (David); her grandchildren, Earl Ming (Nikkisha), Stephan Mann, Courtney Dula, Carole Ellene Dula, Candace Ming, Jordan Heard, Sydney Ellene Heard, Calhoun Huntley, Porter Huntley, William Dula and Homer Dula; and two great-granddaughters, Zoey Birdsong and Gabrielle Ellene Ming.
She is also survived by a host of nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, as well as numerous cousins, in-laws and friends.
Memorial services will be held at 3 pm on Saturday, April 17, 2010 at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 5010 Terry Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63115-1540. Memorial contributions may be made to The American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund.