Ellen Egan Galanis

Ellen Egan Galanis—devoted wife, extraordinary mother, adoring grandmother, loving sister, and cherished friend—was born on July 28, 1959, and died peacefully on May 29, 2025, surrounded by the family she loved so passionately. She now lives joyfully in the eternal presence of God and her parents, Mary Ellen and Randall Egan. 

Ellen was the beloved wife and partner in life of John Galanis. She was the proud and nurturing mother of Kelly Galanis Roberts (Chris Roberts), Stephen Galanis (Christian Vasquez), and Elizabeth Galanis, and the fun, ever-present, endlessly loving "GramE Bunny" to her treasured grandchildren: Kate Roberts, Caroline Roberts, and John Roberts. She was the dear sister of Rob Egan (Vicky Egan), Tom Egan (Judy Egan), and Kathleen Egan (Mike Merrells), and a cherished aunt, sister-in-law, and cousin to a large and loving extended family. Ellen was a radiant source of love and laughter to everyone she touched, including many lifelong friends.

To know Ellen was to know joy. Her love was bold, abundant, generous, and unconditional. Her greatest pride and purpose in life was her family. She often said her life’s work was raising her children—and she did so with unmatched grace, fierce devotion, and an unshakable presence. She coached soccer games, planned school events, sat in the front row at every recital and graduation, and made every ordinary moment feel extraordinary. In recent years, she returned to coaching—this time for her grandchildren-and nothing made her heart fuller.

Ellen was a woman of deep Catholic faith, and it guided everything she did. She attended Saint Louis University, where she studied nursing, and although her career in medicine was brief, her instinct to care for others never dimmed. Helping, healing, and nurturing were at the very core of who she was.

But Ellen was more than a mother and grandmother—she was electric. She was a dancing queen, a diva in the best way, magnetic, funny, and gloriously full of life. She lit up every room she entered. She loved hosting parties, traveling with her family, playing pickleball, attending book club, cheering loudest from the sidelines, and making ordinary days sparkle. She had the gift of gab, made friends everywhere she went, and left each person better than she found them.

Ellen made being a mother an art form—she made it look effortless, joyful, and sacred. She gave her family everything: her time, her energy, her strength, her faith, her wisdom, her endless heart. Her children and grandchildren were her whole world, and they will carry her love and legacy in everything they do.

Ellen’s life was a radiant example of what it means to love fully, live joyfully, and give yourself completely to the people you hold dearest. Her legacy lives on in the family she built and the countless lives she touched.

We love you always and forever, Ellen, Mom, GramE Bunny. Thank you for the life you gave us and the love that will never leave us.

Services: Visitation will be held at the SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, 14960 Manchester Road at Holloway, Ballwin on Thursday, June 5th from 4-8 p.m. A Funeral Mass will take place at Ascension Catholic Church, Chesterfield, on Friday, June 6th at 10:00 a.m. followed by a reception at Annie Gunn’s from 11:00 a.m. - 3 p.m.

If desired, donations may be made in Ellen’s memory to the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired, an organization close to her heart. Friends may sign the family's on-line guestbook at Schrader.com.