The College received notice of the death of Myrriah Ellis ’73 Jan. 10, 2025, via email from Cathy Ann Cockrel ’76.

Myrriah, a nature enthusiast, traveler, violist, writer, weaver, and cat lover, died January 10, 2025 in Oregon. Originally named Kristy, she changed her name during her sophomore year at Swarthmore. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history, with a minor in classics, at the College, and a master’s degree in instructional technology at San Francisco State University.   After graduating from Swarthmore she moved to San Francisco, where she worked as a switcher with Burlington Northern Railways. Later she repaired computer systems for Digital Equipment Corporation, with responsibility for the city’s fire department and general hospital. Myrriah traveled four continents, hiking and climbing along the way; she loved Nepal the most. She took joy in playing viola, in costume, as a longtime member of the Chrysanthemum Ragtime Band, founded in the late ’70s to support lesbian and gay rights. In 2002 she moved to New Zealand and became a dual citizen. In 2022 she moved back to the U.S.