Ellen Mary Ellinwood

PHILLIPSTON - Ellen Mary (O'Brien) Ellinwood, 86, of 70 Lincoln Road, Phillipston, died on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at the UMass Medical Center in Worcester. She was born in Athol on September 15, 1923, the daughter of the late William J. and the late Annie E. (Fay) O'Brien. Mrs. Ellinwood was raised and educated in Athol and graduated from Athol High School with the class of 1941. Ellen worked at the former Union Twist Drill in Athol. She then moved on to her career at Ellinwood Insurance Co. In 1985, she married and moved to Phillipston with her late husband, Joseph H. Ellinwood, where they resided in the log cabin they had built. Ellen worked for nearly 50 years at the former Ellinwood Insurance Agency in Athol as the Office Manager until her retirement in 1992. She was a proud co-owner of the Ellinwood-O'Brien Tree Farm in Phillipston. She was a former member and bookkeeper of the Council On Aging in Phillipston. She was also a member of the Athol Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. She was a devoted communicant of Our Lady Immaculate Church in Athol and supported the church in many ways throughout her life. She enjoyed reading, traveling, being outside and taking walks in the woods. Ellen loved spending time with her family and will be remembered for her great sense of humor. She was thought of as a very kind, caring and special woman who touched the lives of those who knew her. She leaves two sisters, Anne O'Brien and Margaret Taintor, both of Winchendon; her brother, Robert O'Brien and his wife Joan of Orange; She also leaves many nieces and nephews, three of whom were her devoted caregivers these past few years; Margaret Upshaw of Petersham, Ellen May of Athol, and Thomas O'Brien of Athol. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of seventeen years, Joseph H. Ellinwood, on January 6, 2002; and by two brothers, William O'Brien and Bartlett O'Brien. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, May 24, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. in Our Lady Immaculate Church, 192 School St., Athol. Burial in Erving Cemetery will be at a later date. Calling hours will be held Sunday, May 23, 2010 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Murphy Funeral Home, 137 Main Street, Athol. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial contributions be made in her memory to the Athol Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Fund, 2033 Main Street, Athol, MA 01331 or UMass Memorial Foundation 333 South St, Shrewsbury, MA 01545. $(document).ready(function(){ });