Ellen L. Kanavy

Ellen L. Kanavy, 85, of Scranton, died Monday. She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter J. Kanavy. The couple was married for 49 years.

Born in Carbondale, daughter of the late James F. O'Malley and Mary Mabel McNulty O'Malley, she was a graduate of St. Rose of Lima High School. Ellen received a bachelor's degree from Marywood University and a master's degree from the University of Scranton.

An educator for over 45 years, she started her career as a substitute teacher for the Scranton School District, and then as an elementary teacher at St. Mary's School in Avoca. She went on to teach literature classes at both Lackawanna College and Keystone College, initially as a reading specialist. She taught in the English department at Keystone College for over 30 years. Her dedication and love of learning allowed her to help countless students over the course of her career.

Ellen served as a Eucharistic minister in the Roman Catholic Church for 20 years, including serving Mulberry Towers, Adams Avenue Apartments and the Veterans Hospital. She was a woman of deep faith with a special devotion to the Blessed Mother.

Special thanks to Kathy Kanavy, Kathleen Walsh, Tricia Totino, Maura Quinn, Kelly Peterson, Amy Quinn, and the staffs at Linwood Rehabilitation and Nursing Home and Allied Services Hospice Center.

Surviving are her sister and best friend, Jane O'Malley Quinn; a daughter, Maureen Zaboski and husband, Gerald, and their two sons; a sister-in-law, Kathy Kanavy; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was also preceded in death by a daughter, Margaret Moriah Kennen; a brother, General Jerome F. O'Malley; sisters-in-law, Shirley Wolfe and Diane O'Malley; brothers-in-law, Thomas Quinn and James Wolfe; and nephew and godchild, Thomas J. Quinn.

The funeral will be Friday with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Rose of Lima Church, Carbondale. Interment, Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery, Finch Hill.

Friends may call at the church from 9 a.m. until Mass time. Arrangements by the Brennan & Brennan Funeral Home Inc., 55 Lincoln Ave., Carbondale.

In lieu of flowers, friends may donate to the American Diabetes Association at diabetes.org. For directions or to send online condolences, visit the funeral home website.