Ellen Firestone Stein
January 24, 1933 ~ January 1, 2025
OBITUARY of Ellen Firestone Stein
January 24, 1933 – January 1, 2025
Ellen Firestone Stein of Closter, NJ, died peacefully surrounded by the love of her family members and friends on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1933, Ellen Firestone Stein was a songwriter, music therapist, and early childhood educator. A lifelong creator of music, she shared the JOY of making music wherever she went and with everyone she met. She was a song-maker extraordinaire!
Ellen began her career as a kindergarten teacher in Brooklyn, NY and went on to earn her master’s degree in special education. She worked in a wide variety of professional settings including many different programs for children with special needs. Ellen was ahead of her time in bringing a strengths-based, inclusive approach to her work. She had a magical gift to engage and draw in people of all capacities through music. Over decades of workshops, performances, and conferences, she shared her talents and passion for song-making with fellow professionals, with children and elders, with community members, and with family and friends. She always came, guitar in hand, with her basket of fanciful percussion instruments and her brilliant smile.
A prolific and masterful songwriter, Ellen had an awesome capacity to write songs about anything and everything. She had a genius for incorporating spontaneous contributions from audience members of all ages, encouraging everyone to become a song-maker with her. Her “FROM EVERYTHING – A SONG!” albums include an incredible array of songs inspired by her grandchildren, students, and everyday life (these are available for all to enjoy on Spotify and Apple Music).
In her 62 years as a resident of Closter, New Jersey, Ellen Stein was actively engaged in town life and in the local school system. She was a member of the Closter School Board and volunteered for years leading PTA Saturday Workshops. In recent years, she enjoyed spending time with friends at the Closter Senior Center, McBain Farm, and local music events.
Ellen Stein’s greatest love was her family. She was pre-deceased by her soulmate and beloved husband of 68 years, Dr. Richard M. Stein, whom she met when they were both students at Midwood High School in Brooklyn. Theirs was a love for the ages and together they enjoyed a remarkable life filled with children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, dear friends, travel, and family celebrations. Ellen is survived by her children and their spouses, Julie Stein Brockway and her husband Barry Brockway, Dr. Eric Stein and his wife Carolyn Stafford Stein, and Dr. Adam Stein and his wife Ellen Brasington Stein. “Mima,” as she was lovingly known to all, is further survived by her eleven grandchildren (Ben, Michael, Lena, Audrey, Natalie, Gabby, Daniel, Haley, Alissa, Kirsten, and Michael), her great granddaughter (Ginger), and her sister-in-law Alice Stein.
A family service will be held at Cedar Park Cemetery in Paramus, NJ on Friday, January 10, 2025. Donations in memory of Ellen Firestone Stein may be made to any charity close to your heart or to Center for Family Life in Sunset Park. Please visit www.centerforfamilylife.org and select the “Donate” button.
Services
Graveside Service: Friday, January 10, 2025 11:00 am
Beth El Cemetery
735 Forest Ave
Paramus, NJ 07652
201-262-1100
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Though we hadn’t known each other for a long time, I felt a deep connection with Ellen. From the moment I sat next to her at a luncheon a few years ago, we were fast friends. Her warmth and kindness, empathic nature was astounding. For sure, I will always remember her—our walks together, the purple hats, the meaningful conversations we shared, and most of all, her unwavering kindness. A graceful, super smart lady and talented too. What an exemplary human being. Vicky Amitai
WITH YOU ALL IN HEART, SOUL AND SPIRIT.
ELLEN, AKA, GRANDMA ELLEN, ALWAYS AND FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS.
NOW TOGETHER WITH SOULMATE DICK, BOTH INCREDIBLY WONDERFUL, LOVING, CARING.
LOVE AND HUGS, LOTS, TO YOU ALL.
YOUR CANADIAN FAMILY-
BOBBY, KEN, JOANNA, SHIRLEY, DAVID, DOLORES, ANA, JACOB, ISSE
What a remarkable woman and stellar human. My heart goes out to you all with love and peace. She will be so very missed.
❤️ Jodi ( Lubinger) Quinn
I remember the first time I met your parents when Julie and I became roommates our freshman year at Mount Holyoke in 1976! Your parents were very kind and loving to me and I felt an immediate bond to them and, of course, Julie. Your mom was always interested in what I was doing over the years and we always had interesting and stimulating conversations whenever our paths crossed. Your parents were very supportive when I first moved to NYC and hosted me at their home in Closter while I job searched and got settled in Brooklyn. I will never forget their kindness!
They even attended my wedding on Martha’s Vineyard with Julie and Barry. It was so special to have them all there! Your Mom gave me her beautiful and fun musical cassette tapes which I shared with my children over the years. I’m happy to say, my grandchildren are now enjoying her music, and “Burpseedoodle” is the number one song requested by my 3 year old grandson. Julie graciously updated my collection with all three of her CDs since the cassettes were retired long ago! Oliver is now learning the words to many of her clever and witty songs and sings along from his car seat
whenever we go out! Your mom’s musical legacy lives on for a new generation! She was a gem both as a person and a musician and will be missed!
Bright spirit, beautiful soul, you have been in my life and in my heart for 77 years. You are part of me forever. We watched each other’s children grow up and shared so much through all the sweetness and even the anxieties and sorrows. I will love you always.
Dear Julie and Family
I am so grateful to have known Ellen and to have become friends. Every once in a while the world is graced with an exceptionally and extraordinary special person, and your mother ,ELLEN, was one of those people. The lives of those who were lucky enough to know ELLEN, especially me and Joe are forever changed for the better. The connection that ELLEN, Joe and I experienced was the loss of our dearly beloved spouses and that is what brought us closer together as friends. The times we spent together with music and singing together were truly remarkable. ELLEN was such a talented song writer and we were amazed by her poetry. She was truly blessed with a gift of words that she went as far as writing a poem for me and Joe and putting the words to music , singing it to us while playing her guitar. She made us feel special and I will always cherish that memory forever. Your family is surrounded by much love.
Ann Vetere❤️
Dear Julie & Family
i wanted your family to know that I had the most memorable experience in meeting Ellen. While I was cutting my shrubbery during the summer of 2022 , I looked up and saw this distraught woman standing on the corner of my street. I asked if she was OK and she replied yes and no. I thought to myself what kind of an answer is that. I then proceeded to ask her if I can get her a bottle of water and she replied yes and needed a hug. Then I proceeded to give her the biggest bear hug ever and asked her to sit on my chair if front of my house and rest for a while. Since then we became the best of friends sharing our spouses loss , her music and senior center experiences . Ellen left a lifetime impression not only with me but also with my family which I will always cherish. She will always be in my thoughts.
Joe Huber🩷
My mother, Marna Gold, called her Ellie. She was my mother’s dearest friend and confidant.
She was truly a woman of song and shared it with all us children growing up. She invited us to join in and made us feel welcome and safe in doing so. Her heart was shared with all of us.
As an adult, she was instrumental in my life. She had a way of going into deep conversation and sharing with a gentle hand her inner most concerns for you. She touched my heart deeply and I am in deep gratitude to her.
Dear Ellen, I pray you are resting God’s hands now.
God bless you during this time. I’m so sorry for your loss.
Respectfully
Imee Hernandez