Ellen Wagner

Ellen D. (Bienvenue) Wagner of Branford died Saturday, March 14, at Twin Maples Health Care in Durham, CT, where she had resided for the past three years. She was the beloved wife of Andrew L. Wagner, Jr., whom she met at Southern New England Telephone Company, where they began a love story that would span 47 years.

Ellen was born in Waterbury, CT on March 4, 1955, a daughter of the late Irving and Dorothy Hubbell Bienvenue. A graduate of Waterbury State Technical College, where she majored in Computer Science, she went on to build a distinguished career at SNET, specializing in the rollout and support of Apple Computer's emerging microtechnology. She later channeled her creativity into graphic design, founding her own firm, Ellen Wagner Associates.

Ellen had a remarkable artistic eye that extended well beyond her professional work. An avid and accomplished photographer, she was drawn to urban landscapes and abstract textures, with patterns often at the heart of her compositions. That same eye for beauty shaped her garden, her hardscaping, and her interior design, and she loved bringing her visions to life at home, with Andy by her side adding visions of his own.

In her final years, Ellen faced frontotemporal dementia (FTD) with the same quiet strength that defined her life. The staff at Twin Maples provided her with wonderful care, and Andy was by her side every single day, missing only when illness or the worst of weather made the journey impossible.

In addition to her husband Andrew, Ellen is survived by her stepchildren Tracy (Raymond) DesJardins of Killingworth and Kevin (Jodi) Wagner of Flagler Beach, FL; her stepgrandchildren Jared (Jennie) Hickey and Barbara-Ruth Hickey; her step-great-grandchildren Colton and Luna Hickey; and her sisters Nancy (Frederick) Milano of Middletown, CT, Janet (Ed) Krasinski of TN, Jean Messier of Torrington, CT, and sister-in-law Lyn Bienvenue of MT. She was predeceased by her siblings Linda (Percy) Smith, James Bienvenue, and Irving Bienvenue, Jr., and by her beloved basset hound Slugger.

Relatives and friends are invited to a memorial service on Friday, March 27th at 10:00 AM at the W. S. Clancy Memorial Funeral Home, 244 North Main Street, Branford. Memorial donations may be made to the James Blackstone Memorial Library, 758 Main Street, Branford, CT 06405.