Ellen Joan Pevzner Greenberg of West Long Branch passed away peacefully Sept. 29, 2026, at the age of 90.
Ellen was born May 28, 1936, in New York City to the late Fay and Sam Pevzner. Ellen attended New York City public schools and then the High School of Commerce, where she was an honor student. Following high school, Ellen worked as a secretary while attending City College of New York full time. She received her master’s from Columbia University.
Ever the adventurer, Ellen and a friend bicycled around Europe at age 17. The travel bug took Ellen to many parts of the world during her long life, including England, Ireland, France, Italy, Israel, Jordan, China and the Bahamas.
Ellen was an elementary school teacher, first in Newark, then in Harlem and finally in Great Neck, Long Island, where she taught for over 20 years. She created a lasting impact not only on her students, but on her daughter and granddaughter as well. She would always bring up having three generations of teachers under one roof, something she was extremely proud of.
Her husband Mel was an avid boater, and he and Ellen spent a lot of time on the waters of Long Island Sound and beyond on their recreational trawler. One long-distance trip took them to the Bahamas. This spurred the purchase of a house on the island of Exuma, which became a vacation destination during the 1980s and early ’90s.
In the 1990s, retired from teaching, Ellen and Mel moved to the small Berkshires town of Alford, Massachusetts, just outside Great Barrington, where they opened a successful real estate business. Ellen sold real estate and helped run the busy office. She enjoyed the open countryside of the Alford hills and the many cultural treasures nearby.
They also started a llama farm with 11 animals, bringing them to nursing homes, camps, fairs and parades in their “llama bus.”
As if she didn’t have enough on her plate, Ellen began tutoring English as a second language. She also volunteered as a docent for the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and put in endless hours at Berkshire Bounty, a food distribution program.
Ellen’s true passion was exercise classes in the pool. She loved the camaraderie that she had with the “mermaids” in Massachusetts. After moving to New Jersey in 2023, Ellen joined swim classes at the JCC and enjoyed it so much she attended five days a week.
Ellen was preceded in death by her husband, Melvin Greenberg. She is survived by her daughter Jill and her husband, Jamie Blake, of West Long Branch; her granddaughter Samantha Blake of West Long Branch; grandson Justin Blake and his wife Stephanie Yee of Shark River Hills; and her great-grandchildren, Ben and Cassie. She is also survived by her brother, Michael Pevzner of Kingston, Massachusetts, and his family.
A memorial gathering will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 17 at Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St., Red Bank.
The article originally appeared in the October 15 – 21, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
