Maura Connor Ellis

Maura Ellis, 78, of River Vale, NJ passed away on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 in Springfield, VA. She was a kind and loving wife to her husband, William, a wonderful mother to her four children, and a cherished grandmother to her nine grandchildren. She was a guiding star to so many, and her impact on those who knew and loved her will be legacy.

Born in New York City in 1945, she attended St. Elizabeth's in Washington Heights, NY, NY, Notre Dame School of Manhattan, NY, and Le Moyne College in DeWitt, NY. She first worked as a teacher and then for Perot Systems where she met her husband. After starting a family, she became a full-time, devoted mother before returning to work as an analyst at NUS in Park Ridge.

She would never want to read a list of her accomplishments and yet she accomplished much in her community. She led each of her son’s Cub Scouts dens as well as her daughter’s Girl Scout troop. As a member of the PTA, she chaired the Roberge Book Fair for nearly a decade. Never content with the standard Scholastic offerings, she scoured literary catalogs all summer to create a much larger and more diverse book fair. At the middle school, she helped inaugurate the teen rec carnival, and for the high school, worked tirelessly on fundraising to host the All Night Grad Parties. Her love of education led her to a seat on the Pascack Valley School Board, where she served passionately for 19 years. She was quick to see the potential in new technology and helped PV become one of the first school districts in the nation to roll out student laptops and virtual learning.

She was incredibly bright, passionate yet reserved, strong willed yet understanding. An early C-Span fan, policy and politics were long her passions and dinner discussions were often filled with robust debate. She single-handedly kept the instant coffee business alive and always had a bag of Wise potato chips handy. She loved her family, River Vale, and the lifelong friends she made there. She believed, fully, that one person can make a difference and she lived that out each day. She will be missed by all who knew her.

The daughter of Kathleen (Kane) and Joseph Connor, Maura is survived by her brothers Joseph and Michael (and Lois); daughter Jennifer (and Michael Corcoran); sons Charles (and Cathy), Kevin (and Sarah), and Michael (and Kate); grandchildren Molly and Michael Corcoran, Connor and Nathan Ellis, Asher, Grayson, and Eleanor Ellis, and Anna and Emily Ellis, as well as many nieces and nephews whom she loved deeply. She was predeceased by her loving husband of 48 years, William, and her brother Charles. A Mass will be held on Saturday, February 17th at 10:30 a.m. at St. Andrew R.C. Church in Westwood, NJ with interment at Westwood Cemetery in Westwood, NJ to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Pascack Valley Regional High School earmarked for the William and Maura Ellis Family Scholarship at 28 West Grand Avenue, Montvale, NJ 07645.