Ellen Morris Manganaro died at home of natural causes on January 18th, 2024, at the age  of 100 years. She was born December 12, 1923 to Robert Morris and Fanny Morris Waln in Philadelphia, PA, and was christened Ellen Nixon Waln Morris. She was descended  from Robert Morris, Financier of the American Revolution, John Nixon, who in July  1776, was first to read the Declaration of Independence publicly, and Nicholas Waln,  who in 1785, filed an official petition to the US Congress for the abolition of slavery in America.

She came into this world during the Roaring Twenties, a few years after her father returned from World War I, where he had been commander of the 53 Artillery Brigade.  Her young years were spent in Philadelphia living near Fitler Square, where she could see  a speak-easy out of her back window. She spent her time roller skating around the bronze goat in Rittenhouse Square under the watchful eye of her mother. As the Depression came on, she went from her youth to her teens, and traveled where her father's military career dictated. They resided in both Cannes, and Paris, France for a while, then moved on to Washington, DC where her father was attached to the Army General Staff. While here, she once rolled Easter Eggs on the White House lawn. Later, they found a home in Harrisburg while her father worked in the War College in Carlisle, PA. They had a small brick house overlooking the Susquehanna, a few blocks from the State House. Here, she developed a life long love of figure skating. Later, she attended St. Catherine's School, a boarding school in Richmond, Virginia, from which she graduated in 1941, after the start of World War II. She accompanied her father to Long Island, New York to aid in the war effort, where she moved tokens on room sized strategy map tables to help decision makers gain situational awareness. She lived one half a mile from the landing site of a contingent of Nazi's who came ashore there during the war.

In the space of four years, she suffered the premature loss of her brother who died in Florida in 1942, while stationed for flight training in World War II, and her sister who died as a passenger in a car accident in 1944, and her mother who died of cancer in 1945.

After the war, she moved to the family home outside of West Chester, PA, and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, taking the trolley into town for classes. It was there she met her future husband, Richard Manganaro, a Penn student who took art classes at PAFA. They married on October 14th, 1948, and were divorced in 1964. Together they had four children: Ellen (Holly) Gray, Nina Watson, Robert Morris, and
Nicholas Manganaro, all of whom survive her to this day, as does her daughter-in-law, Julianne Morris. She was the grandmother to four, Rick Watson and his wife Tamara Watson, Celeste Watson-Viskovic, Robert Manganaro, and Grace Manganaro. She was also the great grandmother to four: Alexander Watson, Talia Watson, Josie Watson, and Kathryn Viskovic.

She enjoyed the company of a few good friends, but being a divorced mother was a challenge in the 1960's with sparse social invitations coming from her married acquaintances. She focused on her children, putting them through school and driving them back and forth over 100 miles a day. Otherwise, she summered with them in Blue Hill, Maine, enjoying sailing small boats on the bay. She loved to make complicated fishermen knit sweaters, and was prolific in doing embroidery for her church. As a member of Mensa, she excelled at crossword puzzles, and cryptograms. She continued to pursue her art work throughout her long life, creating pastel portraits, oil still-lifes, and sculpted heads of family members. She explored new media from welding metals, to mixing her own plastics for casing her pieces. She often showed her work at the Chester County Art Association, of which she was a member.

She became a member of the Acorn Club in 1941, and held the record as the person with the longest membership. She was also a member of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, The Library Company, Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, the Welcome Society, and the Descendants of the Signers of the U.S. Constitution. She was a subscriber to The Assemblies. She had been a long time member of the Kollegewidgwok Yacht Club, in Blue Hill, Maine. She supported a variety of charitable causes, including the ASPCA, the World Wildlife Fund, and the education of Native American Children.

A Viewing will be held at St. David's Episcopal Church (in the Old Church), 763 S. Valley Forge Rd., Wayne, PA on February 2nd at 10:00 a.m., followed by a Funeral Service at 11:00 a.m. Following the service, there will be a burial at the family plot in West Laurel Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Ellen may be sent to Chester County Art Association , 100 N Bradford Ave, West Chester, PA 19382-1911