Ellen Cavanaugh

Ellen Marion Cavanaugh, age 95, passed away on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at her home in St. Louis, Michigan.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Mt. St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Louis on Friday, May 24, 2013 at 11:00 A.M. Burial will take place at the Oak Grove Cemetery. A Candlelight Visitation will be held on Thursday from 2-8 P.M. with family present from 2-4 & 6-8 P.M. at Smith Family Funeral Homes, St. Louis Chapel. A Prayer Service will be held at 7:00 PM.

Ellen was born in Rochester, Michigan on February 14, 1918, the daughter of Frederic and Allie (Hazard) Hagel. She graduated from Lincoln High School with the class of 1935, then went on to earn her Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education from Michigan State Normal College, now known as Eastern Michigan University. Ellen was raised in the Ferndale area until she came to St. Louis for her first teaching position as a Kindergarten teacher. She was introduced to the love of her life, Thomas J. Cavanaugh, by his mother Adele Cavanaugh also a teacher in St. Louis. She and Tom married on July 6, 1942 at Mt. St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Louis. He preceded her in death on December 9, 2007.

Ellen taught elementary education in Alma, St. Louis, Ithaca and Shepherd Schools. Along with her interest in education, Ellen was also a political advocate and marched for pro-life rights. When she retired she continued teaching through an exercise program she designed for seniors called EZ Motion "a class for feeling younger while living longer." Ellen taught EZ Motion at the Gratiot Community Senior Center, Alma Community Center and in Parry Sound, Ontario for many years. She was a great conversationalist and enjoyed morning coffee with friends discussing current events, personal insights or simply the joke of the day. Ellen was a longtime member of Mt. St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Louis. She loved music and poetry and was a member of the Germania Society in Saginaw and a poetry writers group in Alma, Michigan. Her summers were spent in Ontario, Canada where she communed with nature, shared happy times with friends and wrote many poems she called "Granny Graphs." Ellen's smile was contagious. Her faith in God and belief in the power of the human spirit to rise above to victory will always be remembered.

She is survived by her 5 daughters: Sue Ellen and David Warren of Long Beach, CA; Alice Seebach of Glendale, CA; Margaret Lott of St. Louis, MI; Laura Jane Murphy of Merrill, MI; Sharon and Mark Seguin of Midland, MI; a son Tom Cavanaugh of Kalamazoo, MI; 11 grandchildren Jennifer, Leah, Tyrone, Christina, Franci, Cameron, Jill, Robert, Ted, Anathea, and Gabriel; 4 great grandchildren Taylor, Cole, Raevyn, and Evelyn; brother in law James J. and Marilyn Cavanaugh of Boulder, CO; and sister in law Jean Rambo of Okemos, MI. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and a brother Alfred.

Memorials may be made to Gratiot Community Foundation c/o St. Louis Public Schools. Online condolences can be sent to www.smithfamilyfuneralhomes.com The family is being served by Smith Family Funeral Homes St. Louis, Michigan.

Read Ellen Cavanaugh's Obituary and Guestbook on smithfamilyfuneralhomes.com.