Eleanore “Ellie” Poupore Dashiell, 88, died peacefully on July 15, 2020, in Richmond with her family by her side.

Ellie was predeceased by her husband, Harry; their son, Michael; her brother and his wife, Ray and Suzanne Poupore; and her brother-in-law and his wife, Jack and Dorothy Dashiell.

Ellie was born in Montreal, Canada, to Ray and Eileen Poupore. After Ellie’s father died when she was very young, her mother took her and her brother to England to live with family. They left England for Canada in 1939 on a refugee ship as the German bombing of London intensified. Ellie moved from Canada to Washington D.C. as a teenager. She became a citizen of the United States in 1954. She met Harry on a blind date in 1955, and they married a year later.

Harry’s work took them to Southeast Asia before they returned to the family farm, Moonefield, in Smithfield. In the early 1960s, Ellie, Harry and several of their friends co-founded the Smithfield Little Theater, which continues to thrive in Smithfield today. After moving to Richmond and then Woodbridge, Ellie and Harry retired to Smithfield. They lived with Harry’s mother, Sig Dashiell, with whom they had a loving relationship until Sig’s death at the age of 100. Ellie lived in the family home for several years after Harry’s death before moving to Richmond in 2019.

Ellie was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. Her family was her priority and a deep source of joy. She was devoted to her children and she took immense delight in the accomplishments and adventures of her grandchildren.

Ellie always put others before herself and was quick to help those in need. She and Harry were active for many years with the Isle of Wight Christian Outreach Program. She was a faithful member of Good Shepherd Catholic Church.

Ellie is survived by her children, Hap and Kristine Dashiell, and their son Tucker; Elizabeth and Ed Scher, their children Lane and Jack and his fiancée, Annie; Anne Dashiell and her partner, Chad Tignor, and their children, Pippi and Bhajan. She is also survived by her nieces and nephews, Ralph Poupore, Suzette Denslow, Laura Merrill, John Dashiell, Tunie Brandon, Andy Dashiell, Paul Dashiell and Dorothy Benson.

A funeral and a family burial at Ivy Hill will be at a future date.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests donations to the food pantry at Christian Outreach.