Ellen Cash Gignilliat

Ellen Gignilliat's last moments were spent on the porch of her cottage in Culver, Indiana, surrounded by her family — a fitting end to a life devoted to others, and a reminder to us all of her selfless belief in love and community.

Ellen was born in 1932 in Chicago, Illinois, the middle daughter of Frank Cash and Mary Burris, who made their home in East Chicago, Indiana. She was a wonderful sibling to her older sister Joanne and younger brother Jim. It was here, at just three years old, that Ellen met her lifelong best friend Ruth Biggs — the first thread in what would become a boundless network of friendships.

Ellen maintained close ties with friend groups from every stage of her life. She attended Roosevelt High School (class of 1950) and graduated from Indiana University — which those close to her know she never abbreviated as "I.U." — with a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1954. Her high school and college friends, many of them fellow Tri Delta sorority sisters, remained constant fixtures in her life, reuniting each summer on the very porch where Ellen would go on to spend her last waking moments.

Ellen followed her parents into education, teaching elementary school in East Chicago and later in Oak Park. A born teacher, she struck the same tone with children as with adults — an approach that made every student feel like they mattered, and gave every adult a chance to reconnect with their own childhood. She was approachable, curious, and full of laughter.

In 1955, her devotion to children brought her to the shores of Lake Maxinkuckee in Culver, Indiana as a camp counselor. There, in a chance encounter at a drugstore, she met Paul Gignilliat. They married in June 1957 and shared a loving partnership that lasted nearly 70 years.

Paul and Ellen moved to Oak Park, Illinois, where they raised three daughters — Suzanne, Bibby, and Mary. With three children at home, Ellen devoted herself to family. But her aim to leave the world better than she found it soon extended beyond the house on East Avenue, and her life as a "professional volunteer” began in earnest.

Ellen took on major leadership and fundraising roles with the Oak Park River Forest Day Nursery, the Infant Welfare Society, the Beye School PTA, and Ravinia Festival. Back in Indiana, she volunteered with the Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Fund and the Mothers Association at Culver Academies.

The list goes on. After Ellen and Paul relocated to downtown Chicago, some of the organizations that benefited from her generosity included the Merit School of Music, the Goodman Theatre, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Lights, and McCormick Theological Seminary.

Nothing compares to the impact she had on her alma mater, Indiana University. She served as a trustee on the Jacobs School of Music Foundation Board, where she funded multiple music school scholarships. The university remained close to her heart; fittingly, the last college football championship she witnessed belonged to the Hoosiers.

Ellen was most in her element connecting people, professionally or socially. Known as “the hostess with the mostest,” she turned her annual tea party — or any ordinary dinner party — into an event of legendary character. No one was happier to have a house full of friends, and even strangers, than Ellen. While most people grow more guarded about new friendships with age, Ellen's appetite for conversation and connection only grew. A newcomer in her home would have a chair and a cocktail in hand before they could say "Hello Ellen." It was here that she was at her most ebullient and elegant, maintaining, well into her nineties, an awe-inspiring network of friends and engagements.

We will remember her hanging up the phone because — even at 93 — she needed to "get her hair done and put on a little lipstick" before that day's luncheon. We picture her with a theater or concert program in hand, ready to discuss what she'd just seen over a steak dinner. We see her cheering on her beloved Chicago Cubs. We envision the consummate wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, wishing us "sweet dreams" as we leave the porch in Culver — where she would, without fail, be the last one awake.

We are profoundly grateful for the loving care Ellen received in her final years, and we especially thank Mona, Reggie, Elvira, Myla, and Marta for their countless hours of dedication.

Ellen is survived by her daughters, Suzanne Gignilliat (Tom Hinkes), Bibby Gignilliat, and Mary Gignilliat; and her grandsons, Paul Hinkes (Carolina Trombetta) and Philip Hinkes.

A memorial service celebrating Ellen Cash Gignilliat will be held on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. at Fourth Presbyterian Church, 126 E. Chestnut Street, Chicago, IL 60611. A reception will immediately follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Chicago Lights (https://chicagolights.org) or the Merit School of Music (https://meritmusic.org).

For further information please call Michalik Funeral Home at 312-421-0936.