Ellen R. Heritage

Sarasota lost a native daughter on January 10, 2023, when Ellen R. Heritage passed away unexpectedly. She was born in Sarasota Municipal Hospital, now, Sarasota Memorial, in 1951, and grew up in Sarasota. She graduated from Sarasota High School where both parents, at various times, were educators. Her mother, Dottye Heritage, taught business courses, and her father, Jack Heritage, transitioned from teacher to prominent Realtor and city commissioner. Ellen graduated from Florida State University, majoring in advertising and public relations and was active in her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. After college, she launched a career in real estate working with her father at Heritage Company of Florida. Thereafter, she joined Michael Saunders & Company where she made many lifelong friends and colleagues. Ellen’s untimely passing prompted Michael Saunders to say: “As a longtime beloved member of our family, Ellen will be greatly missed. She was not only a real estate professional to the core, but also a kind, gracious and exceptional human being.” Ellen was married to Mark Avery for thirty five years and it was a partnership in every sense of the word. When not in Sarasota, Ellen and Mark would spend months at their second home in Wisconsin on Lac Courte Oreilles where they accumulated a wide circle of new friends to augment those back in Sarasota. Ellen was a lifetime learner, constantly taking courses to acquire new skills. She demonstrated mastery of the most intricate details of real estate, as well as many artistic endeavors. She was known for offering her time, talents and gifts to others. She always acknowledged birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions with originally created greeting cards often including personal photos she took at the celebrated event. Ellen is survived by her husband, Mark; siblings, Billye Stampelos (Charlie) of Tallahassee; Ben Heritage (Susie) of Bradenton, FL; Dena Mims (Greg) of Clyde, NC; sister-in law, Marjorie Geshwilm (Steve) of Houston, TX; nieces, Nicole Geshwilm of Denver, CO and Natalie Marshall (Ross) of Houston, TX; nephews, Jackson Zeigler (Suzy) of Rincon, GA; William Zeigler of Tallahassee, FL; Jackson Heritage (Taylor) of Loveland, OH, and Jay Heritage (Samantha) of Clyde, NC; grand-nieces, Ellie Heritage, Avery and Arden Marshall; and grand-nephews, Charlie Marshall and Hugh Zeigler. The family would like to acknowledge the love and dedication exhibited by Ellen’s friends, Phyllis Garfinkel, Joni Dickinson and Lori Palmer, especially during the last few days of Ellen’s life. There will be no formal service but a memorial contribution for Ellen may be made online to: Meals on Wheels of Sarasota at mealsonwheelsofsarasota.org or by mail.

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Ellen R. Heritage

January 10, 2023