Elaine Ann Corrington

Elaine Ann Corrington, a dedicated and creative member of the Hurleyville, NY community and lifelong supporter of people with disabilities, died December 9, 2024. She was 77. 

Elaine was born July 21, 1947 in Vallejo, California. After graduating from San Ramon High School in Danville, California, she received her Bachelor’s degree cum laude from Fresno State College in 1968. Upon graduation, she served as a Vista Volunteer on a reservation in North Dakota, and then completed a Master of Arts degree from California State University Fresno in 1973. Following this, she joined the family of Michael Ritchie as a nanny for what would become seven children, including, most importantly, William James (Billy) Bly, now a longtime resident of the Center for Discovery in Harris, NY. Elaine joined Billy in relocating to the Center, where over the course of almost thirty years she played numerous roles, from program coordinator of Rapp Road house, to event coordinator at the Michael Ritchie Big Barn, to Assistant to the Vice President of campus and community activities, and much more. She retired in 2023. 

Bonding closely with her cousin Cindy, who had Down’s Syndrome, Elaine was inspired early on to study and work with people with disabilities throughout her entire life. In her younger days she worked as an audiologist and speech therapist and taught deaf and blind children, going so far as to found the Developmentally Disabled Infant Stimulation Program (later called the Lori-Ann Infant Stimulation Program) in Fresno, California.

Elaine was predeceased by her sister, Lindy Corrington, and her beloved “Auntie Vi,” as well as by Michael and Jimmie Ritchie, and by Steven Ritchie, in her adopted family. She is survived by six of the seven children she helped to raise, Lauren Ritchie, Nelly Bly Arougheti, Jessica Ritchie, Billy Bly, Lillian Ritchie and Miriam Ritchie. 

Elaine had a mischievous and infectious sense of humor and a deeply creative streak, partaking in many artistic activities including painting, glasswork, drawing, writing, metal work, singing, ukulele playing, and even the musical saw. An avid reader, she could finish one to two books in a single day. She was also the recipient in 2013 of the Da Vinci Visionary for a Sustainable Future Award. Elaine loved the town of Hurleyville: as an occasional columnist for the Hurleyville Sentinel, as the founder of the Hurleyville Ukulele Orchestra, and as an active member of Hurleyville-Sullivan First who regularly walked along main street cleaning up trash and greeting neighbors along the way. 

Elaine was consistently driven to bring joy, laughter, fun, dignity, and the full breadth of human experience to those with disabilities, raising the bar of expectation for Billy Bly and all those she encountered. She was unrelenting in her mission and lived her entire beautiful life in service to others.

A celebration of Elaine’s life will be held February 2, 2025, at the Michael Ritchie Big Barn. 

Donations in Elaine’s memory may be made to the Center for Discovery. [thecenterfordiscovery.org]