Ellen Cathey Fagan

Ellen Cathey Fagan, 69, of Highlands and Asheville, NC passed away on April 3, 2023 after a courageous battle with anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Ellen was born December 18, 1953 in Greenville, SC to the late Joseph Clifford Fagan and Rose Greene Fagan.

She is survived by her wife of 23 years, Joan Ellen Pedersen, her sister, Lauren Fagan Borders (Charles Borders), two nephews, Daniel Hilyer and Christopher Williams, two nieces Leah Pedersen Thomas and Caitlin Bowers, brothers-in-law, John Pedersen, Richard Pedersen and Robert Pedersen, and sister-in-law, Elizabeth Pedersen Bowers.

In 2020 Ellen retired from the American Speech Language Association (ASHA) in Rockville, MD, where she most recently served as the Director of Continuing Education (CE). A speech-language pathologist, Ellen joined ASHA in 1988 working in the CE division. She received an MS in speech language pathology from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL and an EdD in Special Education (concentrator in augmentative communication and assistive technology) from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.

Prior to working at ASHA, Ellen was a clinical educator and assistant professor at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC, and a speech-language pathologist in the public school system in South Carolina. She also had a private practice in Columbia and provided professional management services to the South Carolina Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Ellen's legacy extends to volunteer and professional service to the International Association of Continuing Educational and Training (ACET) where she held multiple leadership roles including President and the American National Standard & Institute's (ANSI) Certificate Program Accreditation Committee that she chaired for several years. Ellen was a natural facilitator and took the initiative to develop a Facilitates Training Program for staff in the ASHA National Office. Throughout her career she welcomed the privilege of mentoring newcomers to the profession, so many of whom have become lifelong friends.

Ellen had a great affection for her mountain community in Highlands where she served on the HOA Board at VZ Top. She loved bird watching, reading, photography, technology, movies, socializing with her wonderful neighbors, nature walks, and relishing the beautiful mountain vistas, particularly the brilliant fall leaves. And we would be remiss not to mention her ultimate devotion to women's March Madness where she kept her brackets close in hand even while ill.

A lover of theatre who volunteered at many a local production in her SC hometown, Ellen was delighted to have been "cast" in a bit part in the funeral cortege of the 2020 movie Hillbilly Elegy, filmed in northern Georgia. When the assistant director requested that she arrive early to the set to get fitted for a "frumpy outfit", she laughed and said, "I already own one, I'll just wear it."

Ellen also thoroughly enjoyed traveling abroad with Joan, always on the outlook for varied and engaging locales to explore, where she so appreciated learning about new cultures, customs, foods, people and history.

There will be no public memorial. Online condolences can be expressed at https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/ellensstory. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society.

Mountain View Cremation & Funeral Care, Arden, NC assisted the family.