Ellen Ruckes

East Lyme - Ellen Marie Ruckes, 85, of South Ledge Rock Road, Niantic, died Sunday, Feb. 6, 2005, at the Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London.

She was born in Woodhaven, N.Y., on Feb. 20, 1919, the daughter of Albert N. and Mary C. Shelton DeClue.

She married Paul William Ruckes in Garden City, N.J., on Sept. 10, 1949. Mr. Ruckes predeceased her.

Mrs. Ruckes worked as a secretary for New York Telephone Co. She was a communicant of St. Matthias Church and was a member of the Ladies Guild.

She is survived by three sons, Paul W. Ruckes Jr., of Marlbourgh, Mass., John Ruckes, and his wife, Nina, of Orange and Peter Ruckes, and his wife, Mitsuko, of Anchorage, Alaska; two daughters, Susan Marie Augusto, and her husband, Carl, of Mahwah, N.J., and MaryAnne Watson, and her husband, Mark, of Essex; seven grandchildren, Jeffrey Augusto, Amy Augusto, Neil Watson, Sarah Watson, Brian Watson, Sean Watson and Helen Ruckes.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 O'clock on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2005, at St. Matthias Church, Chesterfield Road, East Lyme. Interment will be in East Lyme Cemetery, East Lyme. Calling hours will be held on Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at the Thomas L. Neilan & Sons East Lyme Funeral Home, 48 Grand St., Niantic.

Donations in her memory may be made to either the American Foundation for the Blind, 11 Penn Plaza Suite 100, N.Y., NY 10001, or the Nature Conservancy, Connecticut Chapter, 55 High Street, Middletown, CT 06457.

For directions or to send an online condolence, please visit www.neilanfuneralhome.com.