Eleanor J. "Ellie" Sponsel

Eleanor J. “Ellie” Sponsel

The incredibly loved Eleanor J. “Ellie” Sponsel, 78, of Cambridge, passed away on Wednesday, July 11, 2018, surrounded by family and friends who showered her with enormous amounts of love, memories, and laughter, in her final moments, as she closed the final chapter of her book of life on Earth. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 14, 2018, at Vandemore Funeral Home & Crematory, Geneseo Chapel. Reverend David Joyce will officiate. Burial will follow at the Rosedale Cemetery in Cambridge, IL. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the funeral service, 10:00-11:00 a.m., at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Eleanor Sponsel Memorial Fund to be distributed amongst several local charities.

Ellie was born on April 6, 1940, the daughter of Floyd and Gladys (Council) Lowe, in Winona, KS. She graduated Valedictorian of her class in 1958, from Winona High School. Ellie was united in marriage to John P. Sponsel on September 26, 1959, in Goodland, KS. John preceded her in death on October 16, 1999. Ellie was the librarian at the Cambridge Public Library for 36 years. She was an avid Kansas Jayhawk fan. Ellie enjoyed playing navigator during her many years of yardsaling and Goodwill shopping adventures with her dear friend Cat White.

Those left to cherish her memory include her daughter, Stephanie (Mark) Thornton, of Rock Island, daughter-in-law, Cheryl Sponsel, of Parker, CO, five grandchildren, Kayla Carlson, Jacob Sponsel, McCall Sponsel, Evan Sponsel, and Carly Thornton, and her brother, Richard Lowe, of Caldwell, KS.

Ellie was preceded in death by her parents, Floyd and Gladys, husband, John, son, Patrick Sponsel, and her sister, Irmalee Eggleston.