Birth date: Dec 5, 1928 Death date: Jul 11, 2020
Mrs. Ellen McCarthy, age 91, passed away Saturday morning, July 11, 2020, at her residence with family in attendance. Ellen was preceded in death by Robert, the love of her life and husband of 58 years. She was also preceded in de Read Obituary
I'll always remember the trip to Illinois where she taught me how to swim at the club. I was only about 4 or 5, so after she threw me in the pool, that become the family's story of why my hair is red! Aunt Ellen was so wonderful to me and the other "Syracuse kids" when our parents passed. I'll never forget her love and kind heart!
Ellen was a wonderful lady who will be missed by her many bridge friends. My thoughts & prayers are with her & all her family.
Peggy Watson
Until the last month of her life, that was a lady who led a very active life. We are relative newcomers in this neighborhood and she was the first to welcome us and give us the “inside scoop.”
Happy times getting together with our cousins from far away. All of us together, what a handful! Aunt Ellen could always corral us. My most thankful memory though is very recent. After dad passed and mom got sick things got very hard for Syracuse. One day Aunt Ellen called to check on us and she never stopped calling. Those calls, dubbed “the Aunt Ellen calls” meant so much to us. 10 minutes or so, appropriately spaced, got us through some tough times. God speed Aunt Ellen, May the wind be always at your back....
I will always remember Aunt Ellen’s smile and laugh which were always at the ready and could
light up the room. I have so memories from childhood of visits with Aunt Ellen and Uncle Bob. From family gatherings at 413 Pennsylvania Avenue to driving cross country in a Winnnebago with my family and Grandma and Grandpa to Pat and Duane’s wedding to visits to New Brunswick and other homes along the way. I remember long walks around Elmira (and one where I think Aunt Ellen was lost :)) which only as an adult did I realiZe were to get rambunctious kids out from under Grandmas feet while she was cooking. If you wanted a practical answer you could always ask Aunt Ellen (and if you didn’t want to hear it don’t ask!). She was fun loving and brought levity to even the toughest situations. Even an impromptu “bar” made of an ironing board when needed for a McCarthy gathering to celebrate my dads life. Sending love and hugs to all of you. A big McCarthy cheers to a life well lived and a woman who will be greatly missed.
Remembrances of my mother-in-law, Ellen McCarthy:
Ellen was one to live life with levity and walked through her days with a friendly smile regularly on her face and a laugh at the ready.
I distinctly recall Ellen’s reading glasses as a fixture around her neck and my propensity to tease her about her age and related condition. That was until the day when I entered Ellen’s home with my own reading glasses. I asked Ellen if she remembered my playful teasing … and with a big smile she replied, “Sure do”.
Ellen had a pragmatic way of looking at things. When she wasn’t seeing eye-to-eye with what you were saying or were about to do - Ellen would weigh in with “Suit yourself”.
I fondly remember a Rutgers football game in the Meadowlands and a morning tailgate before entering the stadium. Ellen and her daughter Madelyn (my wife) did not thoroughly communicate before the game and wound up bringing a lot of the same food and amenities. Mom had an attitude of – I got this; while Madelyn (Miller) had a different idea with the mindset that it’s time for a new generation to take control. I sat back and watched this with some amusement (hidden of course) – having not seen mother and daughter get under each other’s skin quite like this before.
When Madelyn was about 8 ½ months pregnant she was getting quite swollen and uncomfortable. Madelyn went to a friend’s house near Trenton, NJ and collapsed. She died that afternoon in April of 1987 from an undiagnosed heart issue. Ellen was one of the few, brave enough, to regularly check in on me. As a new and inexperienced parent of a special needs newborn I surely needed Ellen’s coaching and encouragement. And, as I transitioned into the future Mom McCarthy was a steadfast part of that change and Mom’s support was unwavering.
Mom was, and always will live on in our hearts, as the special lady that she exemplified!
With Love,
Son-in-law,
Tom
