Ellen Hauser, 60; taught third-graders in Lexington

ELLEN HAUSER

Ellen L. (Ross) Hauser, an elementary school teacher in Lexington, died March 2 at Stanley Tippett Home in Needham of ovarian cancer. She was 60 and lived in Wayland.

For the past 22 years, Mrs. Hauser has taught at the Joseph Estabrook School, mostly in the third grade. With a love of teaching reading and writing, Mrs. Hauser put out a publication of her students' stories called the Hauser Herald.

"I think the most important thing I would say is that when people get a diagnosis of a terminal illness, they step back and think about what they want to do with the rest of their life, and it was very clear that what Ellen Hauser wanted to do was teach third grade at the Joseph Estabrook School," said Principal Martha Batten. "She was a teacher from the moment she walked in the building to the moment she walked out."

Mrs. Hauser was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island. She received her bachelor's degree from Washington University and her master's in education from Boston University. Following graduation, she taught in St. Louis for about a year before teaching in Israel. She also taught at the Pike School in Andover.

Her husband, David, said she came from a family of teachers. She was also an avid cyclist and lit up a room whenever she walked in, he said, even though she was a little shy.

"I always said, everyone may not love you, and everyone may not love me, but everyone loved Ellen," he said.

In addition to her husband, Mrs. Hauser leaves a brother, Marc Ross of Philadelphia.

Services have been held.