Montpelier, VT On September 28, 2021, Ellen M. Fein left the material world to rejoin the infinite light of the cosmos, surrounded by her loving, nurturing community of family and "honeys". She departed peacefully and publicly, "Dying Out Loud" in a series of blog posts showing us all that it's possible to die without fear. She was 71 years old. Ellen was born April 24, 1950, in Poughkeepsie, NY, to Harriet K. and Richard S. Fein, each now deceased. She went to high school in Arlington, NY, received her undergraduate degree from Penn State University, and then attended the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies. She discovered her life's work at Adelphi University, where she received an MSW degree in 1979. She initially applied her social work training as an administrator at several individual mental health centers in Vermont, eventually becoming director of a state-wide mental health network. Her life took a momentous turn in 1997 with the illness and death of her husband, Michael Goldfinger, followed three years later by Ellen's own leukemia diagnosis and treatment. Ellen emerged with a deep and profound understanding of the human needs for care and comfort in the face of life-threatening illness and the convoluted and inadequate services available to meet those needs. Ellen devoted the remaining quarter-century of her life to addressing this gap. Immediately upon returning to Vermont from her bone-marrow transplant in Seattle, she wrote the book, Not Just a Patient: How to Have a Life When You Have a Life-Threatening Illness, encouraging those with serious illnesses to remain in charge of their own lives while undergoing often debilitating treatment. Ellen studied a wide variety of approaches to illness and death – yoga, holistic medicine, imagery, mindfulness, among many others – that she applied to her own healing and later provided to others through workshops, classes, individual sessions, and writings. She co-facilitated a series of "Death Cafés" in central Vermont, inviting an open discussion of death and dying. In recent years, Ellen served as faculty with the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, training health-care providers to teach self care, enhance resilience, and help prevent chronic illness. She particularly enjoyed working with the Veterans Administration to help guide staff to heal themselves and the veterans they work with. Ellen's social media posts, especially those describing her entry into hospice care, brought responses from hundreds of people around the country Ellen helped over the years in their own encounters with illness and death. Ellen is survived by beloved daughter Rebecca Goldfinger-Fein, and her partner, Rob Goodwin. She is also survived by two sisters, Beth Fein, and her husband, Mike DiFilippo, and Judith Fein; her partner of many years, Steve Worona; six nieces and nephews; a grand-nephew; a granddaughter; and several surrogate grandchildren. The family will hold a private funeral service. At a future time, when it is safe to gather, the community will be invited to a celebration of Ellen's life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Michael's Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation, a fund Ellen set up to support the health of our community. Please send a check or Venmo to Rebecca Goldfinger-Fein (℅ 115 Chestnut Hill Rd., Montpelier, VT 05602; Venmo: @rebeccagoldfingerfein) with a note or memo that it is a donation to Michael's Fund.