Tribute to ORCA Board Member: Barbara Ellenberger

Our Barbara Ellenberger, ORCA board member, passed away on December 26, 2021.

Barbara and her husband Jim moved to Ocean Ridge 11 years ago. Due to her strong volunteer spirit, she immediately joined the ORCA board as our Executive Secretary. Barbara served in that position for 9 years and then served as our President. She was an excellent leader and volunteer who helped to make an important difference for the neediest in Brunswick County.  

She was honored at a recent ceremony at Lower Cape Fear LifeCare with a blue glass tile provided through the generosity of her family, friends and neighbors inside and outside of Ocean Ridge. Due to the outpouring of memorial contributions*, Barbara will also be remembered by an outer pathway bench in the beautiful Serenity Garden at the facility, bearing the following inscription: In Loving Memory of Barbara Ellenberger From Her Family and Ocean Ridge Friends.

On April 9, 2022, Lower Cape Fear LifeCare (Hospice House of Brunswick), hosted an “Impressions Tribute Dedication and Celebration of Life Ceremony” at their facility in Bolivia.  Fifteen “lives well lived” were honored with “Celebration of Life tiles” on the Impressions wall. These tiles are fused glass tributes creating a large gentle wave design to compliment the organic shells within the tabby wall. The names are etched onto the tributes and placed in memory or honor of a loved one through a gift or combination of gifts of $1000 or more.  Barbara’s husband, Jim, sister, Patty, daughter Kristin and grand daughter were in attendance, as well as several friends from the ORCA board. This was a beautiful tribute to a very special lady.

The ceremony included an Invocation, history of the Impressions and Special Dedications, Reading of the Names and a breath taking release of white doves. A tour of the Serenity Garden to see her bench followed and light refreshments. The services of this facility in providing comfort, medical assistance and peace to their patients and families are invaluable.

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ORCA has been donating to the Lower Cape Fear LifeCare facility since their initial capital campaign 11 years ago. At that time, ORCA was only a year old, but we committed to an ambitious $10,000 donation to be paid out over 5 years. It funded an “Ocean Ridge Family Room” in the facility. As we grew, we easily met our commitment to the expandable seven bed facility. We have continued to donate generously to them: helping fund the Serenity Garden and other needs ever since. Many of our Ocean Ridge neighbors, who have used this facility have tiles on the Impression Wall, including Chet Bojanowski (husband of Kathy), who was also honored at this ceremony.

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*As a reminder, ORCA has a Memorial Fund, which provides matching funds, up to $100, per Ocean Ridge household per year to be used in honor of a loved one. Many residents have participated in this program and also luncheon and game groups.