Ellen L. Harbaugh passed away peacefully, as the sun was setting on May 9, 2021, at the age of 77.  

Ellen was born in Belleville on Dec. 17, 1943, to Henry and Veranda Stork. She graduated with honors and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Southern Illinois University, and attended graduate school at Kansas State University. She worked at Little Grassy Lake, near Carbondale,  in the early 60s and helped to establish a day camp held at Camp Wartburg sponsored by the  Monroe County Council for the Handicapped. 

She married Daniel Harbaugh on June 25, 1966. She taught elementary school for a year in Waterloo, and four years in Manhattan, Kans., before making their home in Marshalltown, Iowa, in 1971, where she taught kindergarten and reading for the Marshalltown Area Catholic Schools. After teaching there for 23 years, she retired for health reasons. However, she found other ways to impact students. She continued to tutor following her retirement, and was most affectionately known as “The Book Lady.” 

Ellen had a passion for reading and getting books into the hands of children. With the help of close friends, Ellen began an outreach program in 2003 called, “Books and Beasties,” where they paired a stuffed animal with a character from a book. Throughout the many years of leading this program, more than 89,000 “Books and Beasties” were donated to various organizations, including Child Abuse Prevention Services, Youth and Shelter Services, and Head Start. They were also distributed to school systems all over the country from Connecticut to Chicago to Arkansas. She applied for grants to help support the operations and housed the workings, storage and distribution of this operation, along with her husband and friends. She also served on the board of the Iowa Valley Community College Family Literacy Program, and received the “Celebrate Literacy” award from the Iowa Reading Association in Des Moines for her efforts. 

She led a faithful life as a longtime member at St. Henry’s church. She was involved with church dinners, and the St. Henry’s Altar and Rosary Society. 

We are reminded of her enduring love and faith, as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend.  

She leaves behind her loving husband, Dan, of 54 years; and son Jim (Susan), and grandsons Grant and  Sam; as well her son Tom and grandchildren, Ella, Luke, and Leo. She also leaves behind her sister  Mary (Dick) Fitzgerald; brother Roy Stork; and in-laws Marie (John) DeLuca, Paul Harbaugh, Barb Kelly and  Pat (Mike) Cooksey, as well as nieces, nephews and cousins. 

Ellen was preceded in death by her parents and sister-in-law Sharon Stork. 

Visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. June 9 at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home, 1209 Iowa Avenue West, Marshalltown, Iowa with a 7 p.m. vigil service and rosary recitation. 

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. June 10 at St. Francis of Assisi Parish: St. Henry Catholic Church, 211 W. Olive St., Marshalltown, Iowa. 

She will be laid to rest at a later date in Valmeyer.

For those unable to attend, the service will be available on the Mitchell Family Funeral Home Facebook page. 

A luncheon will take place at the church following the service. 

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association or to the Marshalltown Public Library “Bookmobile Fund,” which is an outreach program that will visit local schools, community events, and make regular stops at the nursing homes for those with limited access to the library.