Ellen Vinette Long Rebstock

life story

Peace, I ask of thee, O River, peace, peace, peace

When I learn to live serenely, cares will cease.

From the hills, I gather courage, vision of the day to be.

Strength to lead, and faith to follow, all are given unto me.

Peace, I ask of thee, O River, peace, peace, peace

Ellen Vinette Long Rebstock, 81, passed away peacefully at home in Minnetonka, Minnesota, on Tuesday, May 20. She is remembered as a formidable force, difficult for her children to keep up with when she walked, determined, able to do anything, and with an aura of Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman. In her later years, she had a challenging set of health issues that slowed her mobility and diminished her hearing but not her fierce independence or her sense of humor.

Born on April 25, 1944, in Urbana, Illinois, Ellen was the daughter of Wayne and Martha Long. She grew up in Neenah, Wisconsin, with her brothers Peter and Tom, and had fond memories of Girl Scouts and participating in high school plays and musicals. She notably played the role of Annie Sullivan in a Neenah community theater production of The Miracle Worker about the life of Helen Keller.

Ellen studied physical therapy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she met David Martin Rebstock in 1962. They married in 1965, and their family soon grew with the arrival of their three sons, Mark, Tim, and Peter.

In 1976, Ellen and David joined the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA), a human development organization. During her time with ICA, Ellen led management and participation training seminars and helped organize a Global Women’s Forum. Afterward, she resumed her career in physical therapy in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she became a pioneer in offering therapy to patients with HIV. She also combined her healthcare expertise with leadership skills to manage healthcare teams in nursing homes and physical therapy departments in Cincinnati, Sacramento, and Santa Rosa, California.

Over 58 years of marriage, Ellen and David lived in more than 28 locations, including Milwaukee, WI; Scheveningen, Netherlands; Chicago, IL; Singapore; San Francisco and Los Angeles, CA; Kingston, Jamaica; Cincinnati, OH; Sacramento and Santa Rosa, CA; Greensboro, NC; Baltimore, MD; Rochester and Minnetonka, MN; and, for eight months, in an RV named Maggie.

Ellen was preceded in death by her parents, her husband David, and her brother Peter. She is survived by her brother, Tom, and his wife, Judy; sons Mark, Tim, and Peter; daughters-in-law Tracy and Katherine; and grandchildren Charlie and Anna.

Gifts in Ellen’s memory may be made to the Institute of Cultural Affairs–USA.