Ellyn Kay (Rice) Grant, 71

Ellyn Kay (Rice) Grant, 71, of Vero Beach, Florida was peacefully welcomed home to Heaven on April 1, 2024.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 4, 1952, Ellyn was raised alongside her older brother, the late David Charles Rice, in Ripley, Ohio.

As the daughter of the owner & editor of The Ripley Bee, the late Jean Ross Rice, and tobacco farmer and WWII Veteran, the late Charles Leo Rice, Ellyn was instilled with the values of hard-work, resiliency, dedication, community, faith and family.

A 1970 graduate of Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington High School, Ellyn was a member of the Pep-Squad, served as Sophomore Vice-President, Junior Treasurer, Senior Class President and was Co-Editor of the school newspaper. She went on to study Marketing at the University of Cincinnati where she earned her Bachelor of Business Administration. While she always took pride in her titles of UC Bearcat and Sister of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, Ellyn couldn’t ignore the call of the warm South Florida climate. With a job offer of Senior Sales Representative at Unilever, Ellyn hopped on the first flight to the Sunshine State.

Little did she know that relocation would lead her to meet the love of her life, the late Russell Lee Grant. The two were married on a Spring day in 1979 and were blessed with three adoring daughters; Kristin, Marissa & Lauren. Russell and Ellyn raised their family in Vero Beach, Florida. Over the course of several years, Ellyn served as a GED instructor at the DJJ Correctional Facility, a Program Coordinator at the Vero Beach Police Department and an employee of the School District of Indian River County. Within those years, Ellyn was able to leave a positive, lasting impact on the lives of members of her community, the many students she taught and the coworkers who became caring friends.

Living her life by the motto, “work hard, play hard,” Ellyn’s favorite days were spent on her boat. With her love of the sun and sea, she, Russ & their girls took many tropical excursions around the Caribbean, always with their Boston Terrier & Yorkshire Terrier dogs in tow. And once their sons-in-law: Chet Johnson, Jeremy Neihoff & Brad Berner as well as their 10 grandkids: Jocelyn Johnson, Carter Johnson, Hayden Neihoff, Easton Johnson, Hailey Neihoff, Sienna Johnson, Hannah Neihoff, Breaker Johnson, Hudson Neihoff & Bren Berner entered their world, the trips didn’t stop. Ellyn and Russ loved the thrill of planning family vacations together and the life-long memories that came along with them.

Ellyn is survived by her three loving daughters, her three admiring sons-in-law, her 10 grandchildren, her cousin (Rebecca Rickey), three nieces (Aimee Gast, Shannon Rice and Minda McDaniel), nephew (Sam d’Entremont), two sisters-in-law (Inez Grant and Maggie Grant) and many special extended family members who will miss her dearly.

Ellyn will be longingly missed and thought of daily, but her family rejoices in the faith that Russ & Ellyn are together again for eternity as well as with their beloved dogs and family members that have gone before them. Russ and Ellyn have blessed their family with life skills as well as fond memories of laughter, joy, excitement, adventure, and the secret to a life well-lived; LOVE, DEVOTION & FUN!

Flowers in memory of Ellyn can be sent to Aycock Funeral Home & Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Ft. Pierce FL, they are serving the family. Ellyn was a lifelong animal lover and rescuer. In honor of her passion, donations can be made to the Brown County Humane Society, Georgetown OH.