In Memoriam: Longtime Monmouth Beach Resident, Teacher, Ellen Sheehan, 82

“She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. She is clothed with strength and dignity. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. Her children call her blessed.”

Longtime Monmouth Beach resident Ellen Sheehan passed away on Oct. 10. She was 82.

Ellen Sheehan
Photo/family via John E. Day Funeral Home

“Ellen Sheehan had three rules for life: The first is to be kind, the second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind. Ellen was kind, patient, and generous, and when she needed to be, she was a rock. Ellen always put her sprawling family first. She loved family gatherings, large and small, most recently enjoying a celebration of her 80th birthday with immediate and extended family. Ellen never forgot a birthday or an anniversary and took joy in sending candy packages to her children and grandchildren on special occasions, like Easter and Valentine’s Day … She will be greatly missed by many nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.
They all loved her and she loved them back.”
Loved ones of Ellen Sheehan in her obituary

More about Ellen Sheehan from her obituary …

Born and raised in Newark, Ellen graduated from Caldwell College and then began her teaching career at the Ocean Township Elementary School.

Ellen spent her summers waitressing in Asbury Park and relaxing on the beach in Avon, where she met Michael Sheehan. They fell in love and were married in 1967.

A year later, they bought a home in Monmouth Beach, where Ellen lived with Michael for the rest of her life. She left teaching in 1968 to raise her family, returning to teach at St. Ann School in Keansburg in 1987 until her retirement in 2001.

Ellen is survived by: Michael, her loving husband of 54 years; her children, Maura Knight (Tim), Michael (Molly), Becky Lomangino (Bob Summers), and Kathleen Bruce (Bert); her grandchildren, Erin and Sean Knight, Felix and Fiona Sheehan, Ellie and Leo Lomangino, and Albert, Haley, and Joseph Bruce; her sister, Beth Parisi; her brother, Joseph; and by her sisters-in-law, Diana Kohl, Patti Kohl, and Liz Sheehan.

Ellen was predeceased by her parents, Bertrand and Eleanor (Downey) Kohl, and her brothers Robert, Peter, John, and Michael.

The family would like to thank those who cared for Ellen in her final days: The nurses and staff of Riverview Medical Center and Jersey Shore Center, members of her hospice care team, especially Renee and Tihisha, and Father Jim Grogan of The Church of the Nativity in Fair Haven, NJ.

Visitation will be at The Church of the Nativity in Fair Haven on Tuesday, Oct. 26, from 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 pm. The funeral mass will be celebrated at the church at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, with burial to follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Middletown.

From the family … We will be celebrating Ellen’s life during a continued pandemic. For the safety of our family and friends, especially grieving grandchildren too young to be vaccinated, the family asks that individuals who have chosen to remain unvaccinated from COVID19 not attend the visitation, funeral, or any reception that may follow, and we invite you to share condolences and memories in other ways. Please inquire about a Zoom funeral attendance option. The family is grateful for your understanding.

— Edited obituary provided by family via John E. Day Funeral Home