Ellen Flatley Corey
Ellen Flatley Corey, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, and everyone’s favorite member of the community, died unexpectedly on March 2, 2022. She was 86.
Born in 1935 in Brookline, MA, to Irish immigrants, Ellen was the 7th child in a raucous and loving family of 13 siblings. Ellen graduated from St. Mary’s High School and St. Elizabeth’s School of Nursing in Brookline. As a nurse at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Worcester, MA, Ellen agreed to a blind doubledate with her friend Rita and two young resident doctors. When she realized that she was not matched with Joseph Corey, Ellen persuaded Rita to feign illness, and the rest, as they say, is history. Joe and Ellen were married in 1959 and returned to his hometown of Norwalk, CT, where they made their home on Bettswood Road and raised six daughters.
Ellen and Joe’s young family faced a daunting challenge in 1967, when Joe was drafted to serve as an Army Doctor in Seoul, South Korea. He and Ellen were dogged in their determination to shorten the family’s separation, ultimately moving the (then) six Corey women clear across the world to reunite with their main man. They were joined by one more girl shortly thereafter to complete the Corey family. Of their time in Korea, Ellen and Joe said: “Our two-year stay in Seoul was a wonderful family time, made even more wonderful because after all those lonely months, we were all together.” In the days just before her death, Ellen and the older girls – also known as “the big ones” – reminisced about the years in Seoul with her granddaughter and (almost) namesake, Corey Ellen, who is currently living and working in South Korea.
Ellen’s life was full and vibrant. Her days were a busy mix of interaction with family, her wide circle of friends, her faith, watching sports, and Jeopardy! In the early 70s, she arranged care for her six young girls and took the train to New York City on two consecutive days to appear as a contestant on the game show, which resulted in a period of celebrity that was brief by network standards but eternal to her real fans.
Ellen was an avid athlete, playing tennis for many years, and then becoming a golfer. She returned to nursing after her girls were older and was the school nurse at Bedford Middle School for decades. She had a busy social life – her daughters often mused that their 86-year-old mother was busier than they were. She was the life of the party and, to the end, was constantly planning social events and dinners out with friends. But her true love was her family. Ellen was married for 51 years to the love of her life, and she and Joe were so proud of their daughters and especially their grandchildren. Grammy and Jidoo doted on them, and each knew with certainty that they were her favorite, at least until her great-granddaughter Hattie came along. She was there to help her daughters – “the little ones” – when the babies were newborn and traveled to celebrate each grandchild’s high school graduation. Her warm yet fierce acceptance of individuality inspired strong, close relationships with her descendants, and Ellen’s spirit of progressive fortitude was a transformative influence in the development of their character.
In the years after losing her beloved Joe in 2010, Ellen traveled often to the cities where her girls live. In each neighborhood she found her favorite places to walk and to eat, where to go to Mass, and where to get the NY Times for her daily crossword puzzle. She visited Ecuador, Rome, Hawaii, and frequently drove up to the Boston area to visit with her cherished siblings and large extended family. She rarely missed a wedding or a funeral, and she was a highly sought-after guest at both. To be at Ellen’s table was the best seat in any house; when she trained those bright blue eyes on you, she made you feel like you were the only other person in the room.
Ellen emailed her six daughters to say good morning every day, and always ended her messages with a closing that varied according to the general sentiment of the season. On the day before she died, her morning message was bright and happy. She had hosted a successful gathering the night before for the multigenerational book club of which she had been an active participant for 21 years. She felt great and was going for a walk with her friend Alice, as she did most days. On that day she closed with: “more later…keep safe and warm. I love you. mom”.
Ellen is survived by her heartbroken family: her daughters and sons-in-law, Mary Beth, Ann, Ellie (Bill Hanrahan), Julie (John Kelley), Jane (Doug Holt) and Jacquie; and her grandchildren, Colleen (Brenton Murrell), Erin, and Joseph Young, Corey, Noah and Dylan Holt, Clara Kennedy, and her great-granddaughter Hatten Murrell. She was predeceased by her beloved grandson, James Joseph Kennedy, and her siblings Fran, Jim, Peggy, Tom, Paul and Monica. Ellen is survived by her siblings Bill, Mary, Kitty, Brian, Kevin and Ginny, and many nieces and nephews and sisters-inlaw, who adored her.
Visiting hours will be on Sunday, March 13, 2022 from 2-5 p.m. at Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home,
50 Reef Rd., Fairfield. A funeral Mass celebrating Ellen’s life will be held on Monday, March 14, 2022 at 10 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1719 Post Rd., Fairfield (Fairfield, not Norwalk).
Donations in Ellen’s honor can be made to: The Kennedy Center, 2440 Reservoir Avenue, Trumbull, CT 06611, Attn: Stephanie Campbell, https://www. thekennedycenterinc.org/ giving/donate-now.html.
To send an online condolence, please visit www. shaughnesseybanks.com.