Remembering Amanda Wynne Ellis ('00, '01)
This feature appears in Mount Allison’s 2024-2025 Giving Report, which shares how donors make a difference in the lives of students and the success of our University.
Amanda Wynne Ellis (’00, ’01) had a remarkable gift for keeping the people she loved close, no matter how far life scattered them. She found ways to bridge the kilometres and years, staying in touch, maintaining ties, and often serving as the very glue that held friend groups together.
This is how Amanda Ellis is remembered.
“There was something special about Amanda,” says Robin Lightfoot (’00). “She was always very present — a kind, magnetic, and thoughtful human that made you feel truly seen. I was very lucky to be her friend.”
Ellis was from Calgary, AB and earned a Bachelor of Science (honours) and Bachelor of Arts from Mount Allison before earning a law degree from Dalhousie University. She was known as a spirited Allisonian who loved Sackville.
After Ellis passed away in 2019, her family and friends created the Amanda Wynne Ellis Award in her memory. It supports science students from Alberta and is renewable.
In May, award recipient Island Bernard-Docker (’25) had the opportunity to meet with Ellis’ classmates, who were on campus to celebrate their 25th Reunion.
“It was a really cool experience,” says Bernard-Docker. “Based on what everyone had to say about her, you could tell Amanda was one of those people that lit up a room when she walked in it.”
Bernard-Docker says the award’s financial help made a big difference and she was pleased to discover that she and Ellis shared a love for animals. After Ellis’ passing, donations in her honour were directed to the local animal shelter and humane society. Bernard-Docker has volunteered at the Cochrane, AB shelter since eighth grade.
During Reunion, the Class of 2000 announced new donations in support of the Amanda Wynne Ellis Award, hoping to have an even larger impact on future students.
“Amanda’s years at Mount A were some of her happiest times,” says Lightfoot. “The award is a testament to who she was and how many people she touched. Our hope is that it gives others the chance to have that Mountie Pride that’s so infectious here.”
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