We are heartbroken. The world has lost an earth angel and a beautiful soul. Loved immeasurably by all who knew her, Ellen Manzo’s huge heart beat one last time on the morning of Friday, November 30, 2018 with the love of her life John Manzo at her side.
Born on April 7, 1931, she left us in her 88th year. We already miss her terribly. Raised in the Sudbury area, Ellen was the first of 7 children born to Germaine (Groulx) and Mick Cuddy. Ellen was a voracious reader, a talented artist and a lifelong learner. With only enough money for one year of post-secondary education, Ellen enrolled in Normal School in North Bay, where she met her dear, lifelong friend Carmen (Laundreville) Dowhaniuk. In 1951, Ellen got her first teaching job at a one-room school-house in Webbwood, and she remains friends to this day with one of her students, Pat Bentley (MaryAnn).
The adoration of her students would become a common theme. Moving to the Sault in 1953, Ellen caught the eye of John Manzo, who saw her as the belle of the Columbia bowling alley. John and Ellen married in 1955, which was the start of a richly-blessed 63 year journey together, with 7 children arriving in little more than 9 years. It was a boisterous and happy household, full of love, warmth and adventure. As if being pregnant for almost 2000 days, changing over 30,000 diapers, doing 18,000 loads of laundry, preparing 150,000 meals and spending countless hours tending to each child wasn’t busy enough, in her "spare time", Ellen returned to university part-time getting her Bachelor's degree and then her Masters.
Ellen returned to teaching in 1970 and continued to be a favourite to many of her students. After retiring in 1987, John and Ellen moved to the north shore of Lake Huron in Thessalon where they continued their many pursuits, among them curling, travel, gourmet and book club gatherings, cross country skiing and family get-togethers. Ellen was intelligent, wise, quiet, calm, patient, thoughtful, strong, adamantly private, and a woman ahead of her time. She loved to laugh, often to the point of tears. She brought joy to anyone who met her. As a keen and non-judgemental listener, Ellen's children and their friends enjoyed spending hours confiding in her.
In her later years, she lived with slowly advancing Alzheimer's disease, but fortunately remained mostly content, even drawing a happy face instead of a clock face at her last doctor's visit. Ellen was always smiling and as Dad says, "a real trooper'. Ellen lives on through her devoted and caring husband John, her children Terry, Janet (Bob), Mike, John (Marion), Steve (Susan), Dave (Vicki), and Carol (Wayne), her grandchildren, Peter, David, Niccola, Slater, Brock, Jack, Jared and Evan, and innumerable relatives, friends and past students.
Friends and family are invited to visit O’Sullivan Funeral Home 215 St James Street, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario 705-759-8456 on Wednesday December 5, 2018 from 4:30pm-7:00pm. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Gerard Majella Church (Pentagon Blvd) Thursday December 6, 2018 at 1:00pm with Father Alex Saurianthadathil officiating. In lieu of flowers, please send the donations to the Alzheimer's Society, Sault Ste Marie & Algoma District, or the Sault Area Hospital