Ellen Bond Schaffer

Ellen Bond Schaffer, 65, died July 12 at her home in Mitchellville, Md., after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer. Ms. Schaffer was born in Washington and raised in the Bethesda enclave of Edgemoor. She attended Holy Cross Academy, Ursuline Academy and was a graduate of Georgetown Visitation's junior college and of the University Maryland University College where she studied Physical Anthropology. In 1971 she married and moved with her husband to Cheverly, Md., where they later raised two daughters. An avid lover of the outdoors, she studied to become a certified professional horticulturist and embarked on a long-term landscaping project at her home in Mitchellville, where she moved with her family in the late 1980s. The grounds of the Schaffer family home now boast waterfalls, two lily pad ponds, vine-covered pergolas, a small orchard of fruit trees and all manner of perennials that welcome countless birds and other wildlife. After her children entered high school, Ms. Schaffer began working at the Behnke Nurseries Co. in Largo, Md., and enjoyed offering gardening advice to anyone with a passion for plants. She was a friend to animals, particularly pets and wild birds that visited her yard, and liked to travel the globe to see the great gardens of the world. She is survived by her husband of 38 years, Michael J. Schaffer; two daughters, Kate and Sarah Schaffer and their spouses; two brothers, Samuel (Andrew) Bond and James H. Bond; a sister, Elizabeth Jane (BJ) Casali; and twin grandsons, Milo and Jasper Kimmel Schaffer; and nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Ellen's Life will be held July 31 at the family home. For more information about the celebration, contact meschaffer@verizon.net. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Ms. Schaffer's memory to her favorite animal rescue group, The Mosby Foundation. The Mosby Foundation, P.O. Box 218, Deerfield, Va., 24432. 540-939-4035; www.TheMosbyFoundation.org.