Ellen Prescott Delaney

ONEONTA _ Ellen Prescott Delaney, 95, of Oneonta, departed this life on Wednesday, June 25, 2008, at A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital.
She was the daughter of George and Margaret McLernon Prescott, and the widow of John Delaney.
She was born in a room above her father's general store in East Bethany on Oct. 13, 1912.
Ellen graduated from Batavia High School, the New York State Normal School at Geneseo, and the New York University School of Education in New York City.
Her teaching career spanned over 25 years and included positions at Cornwall-on-Hudson, Ithaca, Morris and Oneonta.
Ellen married John Delaney in 1937, in Ithaca. They met while both were students at the state teachers college in Geneseo. Both were passionate, lifelong educators.
Ellen moved to Oneonta in 1942, where her husband was a teacher at the state university. They lived there for the rest of their lives, raising one daughter, Mary Ellen, and one son, Thomas.
Soon after coming to Oneonta, she became active in community affairs. She was a leader of a Girl Scout troop and a member of the AAUW, Garden Club, and Oneonta Clothing Guild. She was a proud volunteer at the original UCCCA Art Gallery and Fox Memorial Hospital, where she was honored for 45 years of service in 2004.
Ellen taught the sixth grade at Center Street School in Oneonta for 12 years, from 1963 to 1976. Her students loved her, and she always remembered a thank-you letter from one former student who wrote, "If it hadn't been for you, I'd be dumber than I am."
She became a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Oneonta in 1946, and was an active member of the church for many years.
Ellen was a woman of remarkable courage, independence and determination. She was also admired by many for her elegance and effortless sense of style.
Her family is grateful for her long life and the wonderful quality of life she enjoyed until very recently.
Ellen was preceded in death by her husband, John; and her only sibling, Thomas Prescott of East Bethany.
Survivors include her daughter, Mary Ellen Delaney, of Binghamton; her son, Thomas J. Delaney, and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Delaney, of Lynchburg, Va.; and four grandsons, Ted Delaney of Lynchburg, Va., Ben Delaney of Harrisonburg, Va., Keegan Delaney and his wife, Whitney, of Bethesda, Md., and Patrick Delaney of Blacksburg, Va.
In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution in her memory to the A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital Foundation, designated for the Auxiliary.
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Friday, June 27, 2008, at the First Presbyterian Church of Oneonta. The Rev. Mark Montfort, pastor, and the Rev. Judith Thistle, chaplain at A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital, will both officiate.
A private interment will be held in Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Emmons at a later date.