Ellen Pauline Bean (nee Daly) – February 19, 1936 – December 29, 2021
Following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease, Ellen passed into peaceful rest on December 29, 2021. She was 85 years old. Ellen was born in Cambridge, Mass., to the late Henry F. and Mary T. Daly. She was a proud graduate of St. Mary’s Girls High School in Cambridge and cherished the lifelong friendships she made there, including those with Joan Keating and the Sutherland sisters: Peggy, Kay, and Flo. Ellen and her family moved to Somerville in 1967 following the passing of her father. It was in Somerville that she and her late husband, James, raised their four children. Ellen was a person of devout faith and a longtime member of St. Catherine’s of Genoa Church in Somerville. She will always be remembered for her positive outlook on life and the way she extended that toward everyone she met. She made a new friend wherever she went—from a pub in Ireland to a soundstage in Hollywood; no one who met Ellen ever forgot her or walked away with a negative feeling toward her. “How’s your mother?” is a question her kids were asked more than any other. Ellen was always quick with a kind gesture, a song, even a bold dance move, but above all she loved to laugh, especially when her family was gathered around her. She was a longtime member of the Mass Audubon Society who loved the outdoors and instilled that appreciation for nature in her children when they were young through their many trips to Drumlin Farm, Topsfield, the Cape, or the Museum of Science. Ellen was happiest when she was outdoors among God’s creations. She loved to read and was an avid learner; after raising her family, she continued her education, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from UMass Boston. She also tried her hand at writing and painting; her portrait of the Quaker Oats Man is a treasured family heirloom. Besides being a full-time wife and mother, she worked for many years in the pediatrics division at Mass General Hospital.
Ellen was predeceased by her sister, Joan; Joan’s husband, Melvin McIntyre; and her beloved nephew Matthew McIntyre; as well as by her father, mother and husband. She is survived by her children and their spouses: James and Catherine Bean, Christopher Bean and Colleen Donahue-Bean, Lawrence Bean and Michelle Seaton, and Julie Bean and Sam Johnson. Ellen is also survived by her nine grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and nephews Paul and Kevin McIntyre. The family would like to extend their thanks and appreciation to the staff at Sunrise Senior Living in Burlington, Mass., for the care they extended to Ellen during her time there.
All will have innumerable fond memories to look back on and remember Ellen the way she would want, with a smile and a kind thought. Due to COVID-19 protocols and related precautions, services will be private and limited to immediate family. A memorial service will be held at some time in the future for all friends and family to gather in Ellen’s memory.