Ellen Marie Panaro

Ellen Marie (Brennan) Panaro passed away on June 20, 2021 at her home of 60 years in King of Prussia, PA. She was 89 years young. She was born in Scranton, PA to Joseph Brennan and Katherine Durkin Brennan in the era of the Great Depression. She was one of seven children growing up in a three-bedroom, one bathroom house during the 1930s and 1940s. Her father was a left-handed brick layer who worked on the construction of the Empire State Building in Manhattan. Her mother brought joy to their large and financially struggling family but got sick when Ellen was in High School. As the oldest daughter, she dropped out of school to take care of her family and their home. She never completed her high school education, a surprise to many who knew her and her street smarts in her career as a volunteer and a medical auxiliary member. Some often assumed she had a nursing degree as she learned so much from her husband of 65 years, Dr. Rudolph Panaro, who passed away January 23, 2021 from pancreatic cancer. She met Rudy in Scranton and they married in 1955. In 1957, with 6-month-old Kathy in tow, she flew on a military transport flight to join Rudy in Baumholder, Germany where he was newly stationed as a doctor in the US Army. She and Rudy both recalled the three years in Germany as the best years of their lives. They traveled throughout Europe and came home with another child, Robert, and the requisite German Cuckoo clock. They had five children: Kathy, Bob (married to Cindy), David, Maryellen, and Chris (married to Leigh Ann) and a son, James, who did not survive childbirth. She had nine grandchildren: Matt (married to Jenni), Tony, Ryan, Katrina, Nick, Nathan, Julia, Sam, and Jack; and four great-grandchildren: Christopher, Jeremy, Tyler and Jackson. She loved being a mother, playing games, cheering and booing for all Philadelphia sports teams, and having as many people around her as possible to laugh, love and just spend time, knowing that time and people are the most precious gifts in life. The door to her home was always open for a meal, a hug or a bed. Many friends and relatives stayed for extended periods after surgeries, between jobs, or whenever it was needed. Her home was always the place where the Brennan family reunions were held with her brothers, sisters, their spouses and the 37 first cousins on her side of the family. For those who knew her well, she was a relentless crusader for the American Cancer Society (ACS). In 1978, at the age of 46, she was diagnosed with colon cancer when cancer was almost a certain death sentence. But with her tenacity and Irish stubbornness, she not only survived cancer but a series of infections and other complications that kept her in the hospital for six weeks after her surgery. From that point on, she had an additional calling in her life; to make people aware of what they can do to prevent cancer and to ease the pain for those battling the disease in their family. She led hundreds of fundraising events bringing attention to the solutions that can mitigate the spread of cancer. One of her greatest legacies is that she took what could be a devastating and crushing blow to one’s life (cancer) and turned it into something so positive, meaningful, and purposeful, that it can change others’ lives for the better. She was a positive person who created a positive influence on many people in her own blunt and caring way. For the ACS, she served as Chairperson for the Public Education Committee, chaired many Annual Dinner Dance fundraising events, and received the Distinguished Survivor Award and Distinguished Service Award. She received the Woman of the Year Award from the Upper Merion Business and Professional Women’s Club, and the Norristown Exchange Club Golden Deeds Award for her efforts in 1975 to sponsor a Vietnamese family displaced from Saigon, Vietnam to secure housing, employment, food, and education. She remained close friends with the family for more than 45 years. She served many years on the Sacred Heart Hospital Auxiliary and the Montgomery County Medical Alliance. She and Rudy were proud members of Mother of Divine Providence (MDP) Church in King of Prussia since 1960, where she served as President of the MDP Women’s Guild and was named the Woman of the Year by the MDP Guild in 1974. The family will greet relatives and friends on Wednesday July 7, 2021 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, at Mother of Divine Providence (MDP) Church located at 333 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406 and her celebratory Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday July 8, 2021 at 10:15 am at MDP. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org.