Ethel Ambrosavage

Ethel Ambrosavage passed away Sunday evening December 18, 2011 at the Willows Nursing Home in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

Ethel was born on June 5, 1923 in Detroit, Michigan to Edwin and Alice Lee. She moved with her family to her parents' hometown of Deerfield, WI in 1930.

She graduated from Deerfield High School in 1941. During WWII she worked as a secretary at the Pentagon, and continued to work in Washington DC until 1949 when she enrolled at the UW - Madison.

Ethel married Charles Ambrosavage in the Grace Episcopal Church Chapel on September 2, 1950, in Madison, WI. They raised their seven children on Madison's northside.

In addition to being a loving mother and wife, Ethel loved gardening, singing in the Grace Church choir, and helping with the Altar Guild. She valued education and completed her B.A. in English at the UW in 1968. Ethel and Charlie loved to travel, especially their trips to England where they made many friends.

Ethel was predeceased by her parents and her siblings, Bernel Hartwig and Roland Lee.

She is survived by her husband Charles who was her devoted caregiver throughout the 12 years she lived with Alzheimer's disease. She is also survived by her children, Charles, Jr., Jean, John, Mary, James, Margaret, Joseph and her grandson, Andrew.

The family extends thanks to the staff and residents at the Willows Nursing Home who loved and cared for her the past five years. Memorials can be made to Alzheimer's & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin
517 North Segoe Rd., Suite 301 Madison, WI 53705

Funeral services will be held Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 11:00 am at Grace Episcopal Church, 116 W. Washington Avenue, Madison. Friends may call on the family from 10:00 am until the time of service. A committal service will take place at 2:00 pm at St. Paul Liberty Lutheran Cemetery, Deerfield, WI