Ellen LeCompte Obituary

LeCompte
ELLEN LECOMPTE
August 10, 2018
Ellen LeCompte, 68, died August 10 from a fall in her home in Lawrence, Kansas. Born in Colorado Springs, Colorado to Oliver and Janet LeCompte, the second of six children, Ellie grew up in that city, attending local public schools and later the Colorado Springs School for Girls before transferring to the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale, Colorado, where she graduated in 1968. Ellie thrived in the alternative school's iconoclastic atmosphere, where students helped operate the school's farm and build barns.
Ellie attended Pitzer College in Claremont, California and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah before completing her undergraduate work at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. She held various jobs during and after her college studies, including teaching English at the Technical Vocational Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico and working in administration for the Colorado Springs Symphony.
Ultimately deciding on a career as a psychologist, she entered the psychology program at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, receiving her Ph.D. She spent the rest of her life working in Topeka and Lawrence as a practicing therapist.
She lived life to the fullest, but of all her passions, her love of animals stands out, especially the love of her standard poodles. From childhood on, she was always surrounded by high-spirited poodles: Rachel, Mitch, Wiley, Jannie and dozens more; two, three and even four at a time. Their intelligence and charm delighted her. When one of her poodles disdained ball-chasing, she translated its attitude: "Chasing balls? That's for dumb dogs!"
She was known for her generosity, offering her time and treasure to a multitude of causes. She sometimes rescued injured animals on the roadside, unhesitatingly funding the huge veterinary bills needed to restore the creature's health.
Ellie's vivacious personality filled any room, drawing people to her. More than a few of her friends and family, not to mention her patients, could say she had rescued them. She will be sorely missed.
She was married twice and had no children. She leaves behind four siblings, Jenny Anderson of Berthoud, Colorado; Charles LeCompte of Brookline, Massachusetts; Tom LeCompte of Sharon, Massachusetts; and Peter LeCompte of Walanae, Hawaii.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Colorado Springs Humane Society.