GB Cares bio honoring Ellie:
The story of how Ellie came to our great community started with Allyn Austin. In 1938, Allyn's family moved from flatbush onto Lois Avenue in Gerrtisen Beach. Allyn served in the Army in Germany. He met Ellie Lommel from Grettstadt, Germany. They married in 1955 and came to America where they soon settled in Vanderveer Estates, in the Kensington area of Brooklyn. In 1967, Ellie and Allyn bought their house on Gotham Avenue and have been living there ever since. Ellie has become part of a four generational Gerritsen Beach family. When asked why she moved to Gerritsen Beach, Ellie responded, "My husband grew up here and his family was here. I grew up in a small community in Germany and the Beach reminded me of home. It's a wonderful place to raise a family. It is close knit and everyone helps each other in good and bad times. We went from Gerritsen Beach to Flatbush and back again." You may know of Ellie from her work cooking at Ernie's (now Poppa Charlie's) from 1969 until 1989. For twenty years, much of Gerritsen Beach savored her well known German style cooking. Ellie's cooking was so popular that people who moved away from Gerritsen Beach would come into the deli and order pounds and pounds of salads to take back home. Ellie has been volunteering in Gerritsen Beach for over 30 years. The majority of her volunteer time has been spent at the St. James Lutheran Church helping to set up Holiday Fairs, Flea Markets, Oktoberfests, the Thrift Shoppe, etc. She has assisted figuring out what is needed in the kitchen at various events. Ellie was the Chief Chef at the Oktoberfests of 1997, 1998 and 1999. She has cooked all sorts of German delicacies, salads, soups, pastries, etc. for literally thousands of people who have stepped foot through the doors of the basement cooking and lined up from the Gerritsen Avenue entrance at the Church around the corner to Aster Court. The event was so popular that the food ran out well before they could feed everyone. Ellie credits the success of volunteer time in the kitchen to people like Jerry Gramlich and Ed Waldhelm. They are just two of the key unsound heroes contributing untold amounts of time and energy with Ellie throughout the years. At St. James, Ellie was also an Altar Guild. An Altar Guild is a group of twelve women who took the responsibility to take care of the Altar, change the hangings, set up for communion, placed flowers on the altar, change candles, set up for weddings and baptisms, etc. She has assisted several Girl Scout events by helping prepare for the Mother and Daughter dinners. Ellie and Allyn have been consistent contributors to various organizations in Gerritsen Beach and have touched the lives of literally thousands of people from our community. When asked why she continues to live in Gerritsen Beach, Ellie responded, "I like the neighborhood. Everything is convenient and close. We don't drive, so it's a please to be able to just walk to get to the stores. All of our friends are here. We have wonderful neighbors. It's peaceful and there is always a family atmosphere with the people who live here." When asked why she has volunteered for so many years doing all the things that she has done for Gerritsen Beach, Ellie responded, "I enjoy doing things for others. My mother was always out and about, constantly on the go. I guess I take after her that way. I believe what you get out of life comes from what you put into it. Mostly, because for all of these years, our friends and neighbors were there for us, through good and bad times. My way to thank them is to be there for them, no matter what I'm doing. Whether making a meal for an elderly resident or cooking for St. James affairs, being a long term resident of Gerritsen Beach has allowed me to get to know a great many people. The only way to say how many lives I've touched is by saying what my grandchildren always say "Is there anyone here Grandma doesn't know?"" For the hard work and sustained volunteer commitment to our community, Ellie Austin has duly and respectfully earned the ceremonious honor of a Gerritsen Beach Award on behalf of the community. |
