Obituary

Moreen Ehly died peacefully in the early morning hours of December 26, 2012 at her home in Lake Forest, CA. Moreen was born in 1929 in Heliopolis, Egypt. Though she spent her earliest years growing up in London, the majority of her childhood and years leading up to her early twenties were spent in the cities of Cairo and Heliopolis.

In her late teens, Moreen competed in track and field as an amateur athlete representing sporting clubs in Cairo and Heliopolis. She medaled in many events, particularly the 100m and 200m sprints. She also taught kindergarten classes to many adoring pupils at Victoria College, a British-style public school whose students were predominantly the children of royalty, diplomats, magnates, politicians, and landowners throughout the entire Middle East. Later, Moreen worked for a short time at the British Middle East Office (BMEO) in Cairo, which made her privy to many of the behind-the-scenes political changes occurring within Egypt and in other areas throughout the Middle East at that time.

Moreen was a noted beauty, winning the title of Miss Egypt of 1949 at the event held at the Auberge des Pyramides nightclub. King Farouk was among those in attendance.

It was no surprise that during her visits to the sporting clubs in Cairo, Moreen caught the eye of her future husband, Robert, a United States Marine stationed in Cairo as an embassy guard. Much of their courtship was spent touring Egypt, with Moreen riding sidesaddle on the back of Robert’s Harley Davidson motorcycle.

In January 1952, Moreen and her mother fled Egypt during the Black Saturday riots in Cairo and settled in London. It was a difficult adjustment for them at a time marked by the stringent postwar food rationing and the legendary London fog.

Robert and Moreen reunited in London later that year and married. Getting Moreen legally into the United States would prove difficult, and it was only through the efforts of Ralph Edwards, the host of the Truth or Consequences show, that cut through the red tape. Fellow Marines in Robert’s company had contacted Edwards, who came up with a plan to have Robert appear on the show to judge a beauty contest. On stage, models and starlets were to pop out of oversized advertisement product containers. Moreen popped out of a huge Pet Milk can, much to Robert’s surprise and joy.

Moreen soon began life as the wife of a United States Marine, with the growing family making homes in Southern California and even the Algiers community of New Orleans, Louisiana. Moreen often shared fond memories of the short time the family lived in New Orleans, including the Mardi Gras parades and the excellent coffee. However, she also recalled with anger the discrimination and segregation she witnessed, particularly on the buses. The fact that her sons preferred to ride and look out the back of the bus seemed to confound everyone, yet no one dared confront Moreen about it. During the final years of Robert’s enlistment, the family moved back to Southern California, where Moreen did what few women did at that time without their husbands’ approval- she purchased a home.

In the late 60’s, Moreen returned to the workplace and took a position at Sears South Coast Plaza in catalog sales. She steadily moved up the various departments and broke through numerous glass ceilings, becoming one of the first women commission salespersons in the major appliances department. Hard working, intelligent, and ever a lady, she eventually earned the respect and friendship of her predominantly male counterparts in that extremely competitive field.

Moreen and Robert eventually settled in Lake Forest, California. She loved the eucalyptus forest that surrounded her home. Moreen and Robert also enjoyed many days with her children and grandchildren poolside at the Sun and Sail Club.

Moreen continued to stay physically active and encouraged her family to participate in sports and travel. Moreen and Robert loved to take their children to Corona Del Mar Beach to bodysurf. Every summer, the family took wonderful road trips through California, Nevada and Arizona. Later, they were able to afford travel abroad to visit family in England and Egypt.

After retirement from Sears, Moreen pursued a second career as a writer. She signed up and attended writing classes through her local community college, and joined private writers’ workshops. Initially, she aimed at writing romance novels. However, she soon changed her focus entirely, choosing instead to write horror novels.

Moreen dove into her writing, incorporating into her novels the many influences of her life in Egypt, including her vast knowledge of the times of the ancient pharaohs, and of modern day Middle Eastern life and customs, including the fear of the evil eye. Her published novels Obelisk, Totem, and Evil Eye are deemed classic 80’s Pulp Horror by growing fans of the genre.

Though Moreen pursued her passion for writing, she managed to devote most of her time to her family, particularly her grandchildren, providing them with fond memories of the special times they shared: daily trips to the Sun and Sail club, feeding ducks and geese at the local duck pond, day trips to the beach, freshly baked cookies out of the oven, shopping trips to the local mall, buying chocolate truffles at See’s Candies, and trips to museums in LA.

One of the most memorable traditions was of the annual family gatherings at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Setting the table with her best crystal and Spode china, Gramma served delicious, home-baked meals that are remembered to this day.

Our family will always remember her intelligence, her strength, her devotion to her family and her ability to bring all of us together to enjoy special occasions. She will be greatly missed by all.