Ellen's Life
August 20, 2021
Her many accomplishments cannot all be cataloged and Mom was adamant that she did not want a formal obituary or litany of her life. Instead, we thought visitors and contributors could add here important events and experiences they shared with her. We have started with some of some of the important hallmarks in her life.
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Ellen (Mom, Mimi, Lonnie, Ellie, Grammie Ellen) was born in St. Marys, Pennsylvania in 1937 to Mary and John Donovan; her beloved sister was Esther Donovan
She graduated from Cameron County High School where she played saxophone in the school band
She graduated from Penn State with Honors; was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority where, as part of that sorority, she gave a tour and had lunch with Eleanor Roosevelt
She graduated from Harvard Law School where she met and married Bob Smith
Having spent most of her life on the East Coast, she married Neil Peterson and moved to the Pacific Northwest , a place she loved, and where she worked and lived for many years.
She retired after a *long* career in public sector law and moved back to her home town of Emporium Pennsylvania where she reunited with and married her high school sweetheart John Malizia. She was so happy to be embraced by and be a part of the Malizia clan.
She spent her retirement years wintering in Florida, volunteering with local organizations, enjoying many hours puttering in her garden and writing mystery novels (she wrote 3, sadly never published)
She loved and enjoyed being part of the lives of her and John's children and grandchildren: Mary, Cynthia, Bubba, Stephanie, Tony, Dan, Ian, Danny, Maryclaire, Johnny, Patrick and Mollie
She treasured her role as "favorite aunt" to William, Cody, Corrine and Evelyn and their kids, Heather, Cody, Tommy, Robby, Joey, Patrick, Haley, Jackson, Luke, Hannah, and Ainsley.
She was able to travel many times with family and friends; highlights include cross country skiing treks, a Mediterranean cruise, rafting down the Grand Canyon, and trips to Wales, England, Scotland, Hawai'i, Monterey, Sedona. She recently traveled to Cooperstown, New York to watch her favorite Seattle Mariner, Edgar Martinez get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Words can't really do her amazing life justice, but please feel free to add to this timeline with memories that you may have.
___________________________
Ellen (Mom, Mimi, Lonnie, Ellie, Grammie Ellen) was born in St. Marys, Pennsylvania in 1937 to Mary and John Donovan; her beloved sister was Esther Donovan
She graduated from Cameron County High School where she played saxophone in the school band
She graduated from Penn State with Honors; was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority where, as part of that sorority, she gave a tour and had lunch with Eleanor Roosevelt
She graduated from Harvard Law School where she met and married Bob Smith
Having spent most of her life on the East Coast, she married Neil Peterson and moved to the Pacific Northwest , a place she loved, and where she worked and lived for many years.
She retired after a *long* career in public sector law and moved back to her home town of Emporium Pennsylvania where she reunited with and married her high school sweetheart John Malizia. She was so happy to be embraced by and be a part of the Malizia clan.
She spent her retirement years wintering in Florida, volunteering with local organizations, enjoying many hours puttering in her garden and writing mystery novels (she wrote 3, sadly never published)
She loved and enjoyed being part of the lives of her and John's children and grandchildren: Mary, Cynthia, Bubba, Stephanie, Tony, Dan, Ian, Danny, Maryclaire, Johnny, Patrick and Mollie
She treasured her role as "favorite aunt" to William, Cody, Corrine and Evelyn and their kids, Heather, Cody, Tommy, Robby, Joey, Patrick, Haley, Jackson, Luke, Hannah, and Ainsley.
She was able to travel many times with family and friends; highlights include cross country skiing treks, a Mediterranean cruise, rafting down the Grand Canyon, and trips to Wales, England, Scotland, Hawai'i, Monterey, Sedona. She recently traveled to Cooperstown, New York to watch her favorite Seattle Mariner, Edgar Martinez get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Words can't really do her amazing life justice, but please feel free to add to this timeline with memories that you may have.