Leigh Ellen Da Ponte

Leigh Ellen da Ponte, 48, of Memphis, passed away suddenly January 2, 2011. She was a Realtor affiliated with Crye-Leike Realtors in Memphis and a communicant of Grace-St Luke’s Episcopal Church. Ms. da Ponte was preceded in death by her father, Harry Graham da Ponte, III and a brother, Graham Hugh Durant da Ponte. She is survived by her 11 year old daughter, Taylor Julia da Ponte (her father Michael Grasso) of Memphis; her parents, William L. and Beverly Cook Browder of Winnsboro, SC; her sisters, Lyndall Joy da Ponte Baack of Germantown, Ann Julia Browder (Susan Parker) of Asheville, NC, Lisa Gilbreath of Memphis, Katharine Browder (Peter Federman) of New York and Laura Shelton (Greg Klingler) of Hermitage, TN and her brother David da Ponte (Frank Cooper) of Memphis. She was a wonderful and loving aunt to her nieces Christine Baack, Alex da Ponte Baack and Shelby Gilbreath of Memphis and Amanda Rocha of Boston, MA and her nephews Randall Boyer and Ian da Ponte Cooper of Memphis.

Leigh Ellen was a devoted mother to her daughter, Taylor, who completed her life and was her greatest joy. She had hopes and aspirations for Taylor that her family will continue to foster, Taylor will always be surrounded by her mother’s warmth. Among her many interests, she was an accomplished pianist and spent many hours at her piano singing and composing music. She also took great pride in her cooking abilities and was a very creative cook. It is through her love of music and cooking that she will be remembered most.

The family will receive friends Friday January 7th from 5pm until 8 pm at Memorial Park Funeral Home. A Choral Eucharist will be held at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral at 11am on Saturday, January 8 with burial following at Forest Hill Cemetery Midtown. The family requests that memorials be sent to The Taylor da Ponte Trust, PO Box 38287, Germantown, TN 3813