Obituary of Ellen Brady

Ellen Regina Brady, 90, of Basking Ridge, NJ, passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 27 surrounded by her loving family.

A funeral mass will be held at St. James Church on Thursday, August 31 at 10am. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in Basking Ridge, NJ.

Ellen was born in Troy, NY to Francis and Clare Shanley and is one of nine siblings. She attended Catholic Central High School in Troy and graduated in 1951. After graduation, she attended St. Peter’s Hospital College of Nursing in Albany where she became a Registered Nurse.

She was accepted into Georgetown University’s inaugural Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and graduated in 1967. Her career in psychiatric nursing began at the Bethesda Naval Hospital (now Walter Reed National Military Medical Center). She relocated to NJ where she worked for over thirty years at the Lyons VA Hospital in Basking Ridge, NJ. She retired from the VA and then went on to work another 10 years at Runnells Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Berkley Heights, NJ where she retired in 2006.

Ellen met and married her husband, Tom Brady, and resided in Basking Ridge for 54 years where she raised her two children, James Brady, and Laura Reynolds, and later welcomed her son-in-law Mike Reynolds and her beloved grandchildren TJ, Cal, and Lola Reynolds.

She adored her big Irish family and is survived by four siblings. Her sister, Pat (Carl) Flood, her brothers Tom (Nancy) Shanley, William (Linda) Shanley and Larry (Marcia) Shanley. She is pre-deceased by her brothers Francis (Phyllis) Shanley, Paul (Janet) Shanley, Tim (Mary Ann) Shanley and her sister Clare Micarelli.

Ellen was generous of heart and a lovely mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, sister, aunt, great aunt, and a cherished friend to so many. She will be missed.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Center for Hope Hospice & Palliative Care in Scotch Plains, NJ.