Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Ypma

Eleanor “Ellie” Ypma died Jan. 28, 2023, in Greencastle. She was 83.

Eleanor was born in Brookings, S.D., and grew up in Lafayette, Ind. She spent most of her life as a resident of Greencastle, most recently as a resident of Asbury Towers.

Eleanor was preceded in death by her husband, Edward, and is survived by her sister, Dorothy Garrison of Greencastle. Eleanor and Ed were both employees of DePauw University where Eleanor served for more than 30 years as a registrar and associate vice president.

Prior to entering professional life, Ellie earned a bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. (higher education administration) from Purdue University.

While working, Eleanor was active in professional organizations, serving as president of Indiana Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers, a member of the National Identification Program for the Advancement of Women in Higher Education State Planning Committee (ACE-INIP), and national executive officer of Kappa Delta Pi National Education Society.

Active in retirement, Eleanor volunteered in the After School Reading Program at Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church and as a docent at the Putnam County Museum. She also served on the Scholarship Committee and Board of Directors of the Putnam County Community Foundation where she established the Ed and Ellie Ypma Community endowment in 2011. She was also active with the DePauw retirees group.

Eleanor’s friends admired her generous spirit and zest for life. They marveled as she continued to travel well into her 70s -- riding camels, scuba diving and traveling solo to Central Asia. She enjoyed sharing her experiences, lending her collection of necklaces from those world travels to the Putnam County Museum for exhibit.

Eleanor requested no services be held.

Online condolences and remembrances may be signed at neptunesociety.com.