Ellen Sue Whitaker, age 68, of Durham, North Carolina, passed away on April 4, 2026.

She was born on June 6, 1957 in Beaumont, Texas to Phyllis Gloria Sowden and James Lee Whitaker. Ellen also spent her childhood and adolescence in California, North Carolina, and Virginia.

She is survived by her mother, Phyllis Gloria Perrel; her brother, James Sowden Whitaker; her sister, Georgia Zola Shaw; her brother-in-law, Dennis Conway Shaw II; her niece, Mira Amaya Shaw; her nephew, Rowan Alexander Shaw; her aunt, Ann McAllister; her uncle, Bill McAllister; her cat, Thomas; and by countless friends who are truly so close that they are as good as family.

Ellen is preceded in death by her father, James Lee Whitaker; by her maternal grandmother, Phyllis Dorothy Smith ("Miffy"); and by her maternal grandfather, Herbert Jefferson Sowden.

Ellen earned a Bachelor of Arts from Mills College before graduating with her Masters in Music Theory from the University of California at Santa Barbara. It was while attending UCSB that Ellen discovered her love and talent for teaching others. Later, when Ellen moved back east in the mid-1990s, she became a beloved instructor of classical guitar and, later, of the ukulele. Over the years, Ellen taught students ranging in age from 7 to nearly 80. She gave thoughtful, personalized instruction to her students as they came to her with varied interests—from rock and roll, folk or blues, and, of course, classical. As an inspired teacher, Ellen helped transform her students into lifelong converts to classical guitar and ukulele. She loved teaching and she loved her students, so it is little wonder that her students loved her as well, many of them staying with her for well over a decade, some from her Chapel Hill days even choosing to commute for lessons after she moved to Durham. 

Ellen has published numerous books of arrangements for classical ukulele and classical guitar, her prize work being Jewish Traditions for Classical and Fingerstyle Guitar: Traditional Jewish Melodies Arranged for Guitar Solos and Duets. Of notable professional and personal importance, in 2022 and again in 2023, Johanna Beisteiner, an Austrian solo classical concert guitarist, toured the United States, stopping in Durham, playing original pieces composed by Ellen.

While Ellen was a talented composer and arranger of music, a talented musician in her own right (despite developing focal dystonia and having to teach herself to play anew left-handed!), and a dedicated and patient instructor, Ellen will be equally remembered for her devotion and tireless work as an animal advocate. From a young child bringing home strays, to a college student handing out pamphlets and organizing protests, to actively working as an adult here in Durham with The Coalition to Unchain Dogs, Ellen has always felt that animals deserve the same level of compassion and consideration we afford to human beings.

Later in life, when Ellen developed electromagnetic hypersensitivity, she became an advocate for herself and for others suffering with this little-understood condition. She became a chair for the Advocates for Safe Technology and spearheaded legal actions against public utility companies in an effort to hold them accountable to those with electromagnetic sensitivities as protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In her free time, Ellen enjoyed hiking in Duke Forest, reading, gathering with her book club, listening to music, spending time with her cat, Thomas, enjoying time with her friends and neighbors, and, most of all, teaching. Right up until two and a half weeks before she passed away, Ellen was still teaching a few classes. Ellen loved time spent outdoors, active pursuits, converse sneakers, Mandarin collared shirts with frog-closures, felt hats, VW Buses and Beetles, Brandi Carlile, Natalie Merchant, guitarist Ana Vidovic, classical music (particularly Bach), educating herself and others, and a good piece of high quality dark chocolate.

Ellen has always made it her mission to bring more peace and joy into the world and make the world a better place by being in it. Whether helping a friend with a personal project, patiently sharing her musical gift with a student, helping a stranger in a tough spot, giving money to someone in need, donating to a worthy cause, attending a protest or march, volunteering to distribute educational materials at a public event, rescuing a stray animal and paying for its vet care, or volunteering to build a fence and provide shelter for a dog chained outside in the elements, Ellen was always happiest when actively working to make the world better because she was here. She will certainly be missed.

In light of this, anyone wishing to do something in honor of Ellen, can make a donation to one of the organizations that meant so much to her: The Environmental Health Trust, Beyond Fences, and Save the Music.