Ellen P. Spencer

Ellen Pauline O’Kelly Spencer (1945-2026)

Ellen O’Kelly Spencer passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 27th in the hospital after a chronic respiratory illness.

She was born in the small, rural Irish town of Newcastle, Tipperary in 1945 to Martin O’Kelly and Bridget Kennedy. When only 5 years of age, she emigrated to the United States, where she lived in New York City with her maternal aunt, Mary Kennedy and her husband Jack McAneney.

Ellen had attended the Catholic schools Good Shepherd and the Academy of the Sacred Heart (’63) both in Manhattan, where she was a keen basketball player. After graduating, she had briefly worked on Wall St. before settling down to begin a family, spending those years among New York, Virginia, but mostly in Butler, New Jersey.

In 1969, on her birthday, she married Alan Spencer and they remained married until widowed by Alan’s death 54 years later in 2023. They left behind three sons, Terence, Travis and Kevin. Ellen also predeceased her sister Marie and brother Kevin.

Ellen was a special woman to all who knew her and she was free of spirit and full of loving generosity. She welcomed visitors and always had an open door for loved ones and just someone needing a place to stay. Ellen was a frequent contributor to charitable causes, such as St. Jude’s, and had an inquisitive spirit, reading voraciously. To know Ellen, was to love her.

She will be greatly missed by all, as a mother, sibling, relative and friend. A memorial service will be held at St. Anthony’s church in Butler (date pending). We invite all who knew and loved Ellen to join us in honoring her loving memory.