Ellen Joy Spiro

Ellen Joy Spiro, a cherished retired teacher, passed away on October 24, 2024. 

Originally from the Long Beach community of Long Island, New York, Ellen later made Atlanta her home.  She earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Oglethorpe University and a master’s degree in special education from Georgia State. She taught special education and reading at Chestnut Middle School and Tyrone Elementary School. Ellen enjoyed attending art and craft festivals and loved returning to Long Beach to go to the beach and see Broadway shows.  She volunteered at the Atlanta Buddhist Center and was a member of Soka Gakkai (SGI-USA) for many years.

Ellen is predeceased by her parents, the late Howard and Harriet (Stern) Spiro.  She is survived by her sister, Marsha Spiro, and her cousins, Allen Spiro, Grace Spiro, Marc Stern, Heath Stern, and Betty and Seymour Rockower. She was surrounded by her loving family and friends and her fur baby, Boux (Boo), when she passed.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Ellen’s memory to The Susan G. Komen Foundation or The Humane Society of Atlanta.

A graveside funeral will be held at 2:30 PM on October 31st at Lakeside Memorial Park in Miami, FL. 

Arrangements in Atlanta by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.