Ellen O. Melley, beloved mother, wife and friend, died at her home in Amherst on April 6.

She was 88.Ellen was devoted to her large family, her Catholic faith, and the deep friendships she sustained even after a stroke and Parkinson’s disease limited her ability to speak.

Ellen was a warm and generous soul who took great interest in the lives of everyone who crossed her path—from lifelong friends and neighbors to caregivers in her final years. 

Her life was marked by tireless acts of kindness toward others. She shunned the spotlight, working quietly to make a difference in the lives of those around her. 

She had a beautiful smile and loved to laugh, finding humor in life’s challenges and absurdities. 

Ellen grew up in Winthrop, the oldest child of Arthur J. and Helen C. O’Maley. She was the first member of her family to go to college, graduating from the University of Massachusetts in 1955.

She was an elementary school teacher in Connecticut before marrying Daniel M. Melley and moving to Amherst where she taught at Marks Meadow Elementary School.

She then started a family and raised three children. Her passion for teaching reading instilled in her own children a love of books and a sense of curiosity about the world.

She loved her alma mater and was proud of her husband’s lifelong service to UMass, which began in the news bureau and culminated with him becoming vice chancellor of university relations and development.

She was an equal partner in much of his advocacy and engagement with alumni, colleagues, faculty, students and visiting dignitaries. The two regularly attended performances at the Fine Arts Center and university sporting events. 

During UMass basketball’s run to the NCAA final four in 1995, Ellen underwent a midlife conversion to rabid Minutemania and even became the subject of a Springfield Union-News article (by her son, Brian, who secretly had silently compiled her salty player and fan critiques throughout the season). 

She was deeply engaged in her community and church. She became a leader in the Catholic Cursillo movement, served as president of St. Brigid’s Parish Council, taught catechism and served as administrative assistant at the Newman Center, where she loved interacting with many college students.

She had a deep interest and knowledge in American painting and decorative arts, which she studied in graduate-level art history classes at UMass. She applied her knowledge as a guide at Historic Deerfield and as a docent at the Springfield Museums.

She served as vice president at the Amherst Historical Society and Museum, where she organized house and garden tours and received its President’s Award in 2014.

In her final years, she fought with grace and determination to overcome the effects of a stroke and Parkinson’s. She did so without complaint.

The compassion and dedication of many aides, therapists, nurses, and her daughter, Kathy, allowed her to live her final years with dignity in her own home.  

She eagerly participated in Healing Harmonies, a choir for people with neurological conditions that impair speech.

She was preceded in death by Dan, her husband of 58 years, who died in 2020.

She leaves her children, Timothy (Katie Johnson) of Cincinnati, Ohio, Brian (Lucy Nicholson) of London and Kathleen of Boston, grandson Liam of Cincinnati, her brother, John O’Maley (Janice) of Gilmanton, N.H., and numerous nieces, nephews and in-laws who will miss her dearly.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to UMass College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday April 12 at 11:00 AM at St. Brigid’s Church in Amherst. Burial will follow in Wildwood Cemetery. Calling hours will be held Thursday from 5-7 PM at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst.

Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com