Ellen R. Gabin Obituary
Ellen Ruth Gabin of Rockport, Massachusetts, a lifelong activist and artist, passed away on October 20, 2022.
Ellen was born on February 6, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, Sol Krames, a labor organizer, and her mother, Evelyn Krames (nee Brandner), a schoolteacher, instilled in her a love of learning and passion for social justice. Learning Yiddish and progressive values at the Workers Circle shule was only the beginning for Ellen, who dedicated her life to fighting for a more just and peaceful world.
After settling in Rockport with her young family in the late 1950s, Ellen became active in local political organizations, including Cape Ann Concerned Citizens which she helped to found. She also participated in the national Civil Rights Movement, traveling to Washington, DC, for the March on Washington in 1963 and to Selma, Alabama, for the march to Montgomery in 1965. She was equally active in the anti-war, women's, and Central American solidarity movements during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Ellen found great inspiration and connection traveling for decades to Central America, South America, and the Caribbean as both a learner and an educator through Witness for Peace. Through her many visits to Cuba, in particular, she developed friendships that lasted through the end of her life.
Ellen was an artist and an enthusiastic curator of her own work and the art of others. In her younger years, she studied painting and drawing at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, and the Art Students League in Manhattan. Later, she took classes at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA, where she also taught. Her creative endeavors took other forms through the years including photography and decorative arts. A true connoisseur of folk and outsider art, Ellen was known in the community for her extensive knowledge and keen eye. "Somebody made this––how fabulous!" she was known to exclaim upon discovering a hand-crafted treasure. Most recently, she sold her "curious finds" at Essex Exchange in Essex, MA, in the good company of her "motley crew.". Her colleagues and friends at Second Glance Thrift Store in Gloucester, MA, will undoubtedly think of her every time they encounter a fanciful, eccentric, or puzzling object — items Ellen would have uniquely cherished.
As her parents had done for her, Ellen taught her children and grandchildren to work for justice, cultivate curiosity, and love art. She was predeceased by her daughter Joanna Debs Gabin and leaves behind her two eldest daughters, Nancy Gabin and Carol Gabin Papagiannis. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Nathaniel Morrison, Katherine Morrison, Paulena Cancino Gabin Papagiannis, and Paulena's husband, Julián Cancino Gabin. They will miss her quick wit, news reports, Brooklyn accent, cat updates, silver bangles, and big hugs and smooches. Ellen –– their Mom, Gram, and Gaga –– will always be in their hearts.
In keeping with Ellen's wishes, the burial will be private. Donations are welcome in Ellen's name to the Witness for Peace Solidarity Collective, the Yiddish Book Center, and Boston Workers Circle.
