Millbury – Ellen Marie (Connell) Marchettta, 78, of Millbury, formerly of Homosassa, FL. and Northborough, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 29th, after courageously battling lymphoma and dealing with complications from Covid. She was surrounded in love by her family.
She is survived by her devoted husband, Robert G. Marchetta of Millbury; Loving mother of Robert W. Marchetta and his wife Laura of Northborough; William Marchetta of Millbury; Kimberly Hogan and her husband Christoper of Southbridge and Ann-Marie Adams and her husband Roy of Scotts Valley, CA,; Sister of Richard Connell and his wife Ann of Dorchester; Ann Spadorcia and her husband Alfred of Plymouth. She is also survived by her 9 adored grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews.
She is predeceased by her parents William and Doris (Sadler) Connell, her brother William Connell and his wife Elaine, and her granddaughter Sabrina Hogan.
Ellen was born on May 17th, 1943, in Quincy, Mass. to William and Doris Connell. She graduated from Quincy High School in 1961. After high school, she attended Dale Academy of Hair and Beauty Culture and graduated in 1962. On May 22, 1965, she married Robert G. Marchetta. The couple settled in Northborough, Massachusetts, where they remained for 30 years. Ellen was a homemaker for most of her life. She took great pride in raising her four children and taking care of her home. In 2001 Ellen and Bob moved to Homosassa, Florida to be able to soak up the warm weather. There they made a lot of great friends, and enjoyed being part of the English Car Club, where they had fun going to car shows. She loved bargain shopping with her sister and loved having her family visit.
Ellen was a devout Catholic. She enjoyed attending prayer group and playing her accordion for church services at Mount Carmel in Worcester, Mass. She loved to spend time with her family and friends, and frequently beat them in horseshoes, basketball, bowling, checkers, and card games, even though she was legally blind! Anyone who knew Ellen, wanted to be around her. She was always positive, upbeat, and joyful. She knew how to put a smile on anyone’s face. She was witty, her laugh was contagious, and she was always making other people laugh.
In her younger years, Ellen enjoyed spending time on the beach, at the family cottage in Plymouth, Mass. At the cottage, they spent their time swimming, boating, camping out on the beach, clam digging, searching for beach glass, having mud fights in the sand flats, and playing cowboy and indians in the sand dunes. On June 22, 1957, Ellen, 14 and her sister Ann, 10 saw from their cottage on Long Beach the Mayflower ll, which is a recreation of the original Mayflower that brought the pilgrims to Plymouth in 1620. The ship was entering Plymouth Harbor when suddenly, one of them had the bright idea to “let’s get the boat.” The two of them jumped into their small motor boat and putted over to the Mayflower ll as it sailed into Plymouth Harbor. They pulled up beside it and began climbing up the cargo net. When they reached the top, an English sailor pulled them aboard. Shortly after, the captain came over and gave the order to escort Ellen and Ann off the ship. So not only were Ellen and her sister the first ones aboard the Mayflower ll , they were the first to be kicked off!
In Ellen’s spare time, she loved to write songs and poems, sing, play musical instruments, read, swim in her pool, and go riding with her husband in their Mini Cooper.
Ellen was a resilient woman who fought a difficult battle with lymphoma for the last year of her life. As difficult as her health battle was, she still had faith and fought to have more time with her loved ones. She kept her sense of humor and her quick wit even in the toughest of times. Ellen’s family would like to thank all those who were involved in her care and provided support to her and her family during these challenging times.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend visiting hours at the Chiampa Funeral Home, 5 Church Road, On the Common, Shrewsbury from 5-7 pm. To ensure the safety of all, face coverings are kindly requested. A funeral service will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 11:00 am. Interment to follow at Howard Street Cemetery, Northborough
