When Bernadette Ellis became pregnant in her 40s, she was cautioned by doctors that her pregnancy was higher risk given her age, including an higher chance that her child could be born with significant developmental issues.
So while pregnant, Mrs. Ellis did research and began volunteering with the Glenview Association for Retarded Children.
Her baby was born healthy, but she continued her work with the organization, later volunteering her time to the Glenkirk School in Glenview, where she did fundraising toward the construction of a permanent facility to assist the families of children with special needs on the North Shore. She later served as president of the Glenview Association for Retarded Children.
“She wanted to do whatever she could to help, because she realized there was a huge gap between the need for services of this kind and the number of services being offered,” said her daughter, Carolyn Anker.
Mrs. Ellis, 92, of Glenview, who after graduating from high school also worked with her twin sister in national advertising campaigns for beauty products that included Toni home perms, died of cancer Tuesday, March 17, at Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter in Glenview.
Mrs. Ellis and her identical twin sister, Bernice, were the smiling faces in Life magazine representing products that included Pepsodent toothpaste and the Toni home permanent hair care line. The twins and five other sets of identical twin sisters challenged the public with the question “Which Twin has the Toni?”
“They were practically indistinguishable,” her daughter said. “When they were little their mother wrote their names on the bottom of their shoes to help tell them apart.”
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Born Bernadette Fitzgerald, the daughter of Irish immigrants in Chicago, Mrs. Ellis grew up on the South Side. After her work in advertising ended, she got a job at Western Electric Co., where she met Bill Ellis. The couple became engaged during World War II while he was serving overseas in the Army Air Corps.
The couple married in a double wedding with Bernadette’s twin sister, Bernice, and her fiance in 1947. They lived in Albuquerque, N.M., for a few years before moving to Glenview.
Mrs. Ellis volunteered in the community before getting involved in organizations geared toward special needs children and their families. She also helped found the Glenview Historical Society, serving as a docent and its curator.
“She was an interesting lady who lived quite a life,” said Letty Lebamoff, who grew up blocks from Mrs. Ellis’ home and helped care for her in recent years. “She was charming and smart and put those natural gifts to great use.”
Mrs. Ellis’ husband died in 2005. Her twin sister, Bernice, died in 1975.
Other survivors include daughters Cathy Strong and Mary Jane Purdy; and six grandchildren.
A memorial Mass will be at 10 a.m. June 13, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 1775 Grove St., Glenview.
Giangrasse Kates is a freelance reporter