Ellen Mary Pastick passed away peacefully at her son Mark’s home surrounded by family on September 30, 2022, in Santa Cruz, California. She was 102 years old.
She was a self-described “depression era baby” having been born on June 9, 1920 in New Haven, Connecticut and then orphaned at the start of the Great Depression at the tender age of 11. She was the eldest of four children and only daughter of the late Catherine (Brazauskas) Dirzius and husband Anthony.
Catherine’s sister Rose Bugaila and husband Leonard of Seymour Connecticut, cared for Ellen and her younger brothers John, Frank and Peter who all predeceased her.
Ellen had a number of careers throughout her life. During World War II she worked as a bullet tester at Winchester Repeating Firearms in New Haven, CT. She later became an Executive Secretary for an advertising agency. After marrying Alexander Pastick in 1954 and while raising three children, she was one of the first Customs Agents at the then newly branded Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Before retiring, she worked at CIGNA Insurance company in Bloomfield which at the time granted pensioned staff dental and medical insurance for life, which came in handy considering her longevity.
In retirement, she and her husband Al became snow birds spending winters at the Fountain of Youth Spa in Niland California, visiting with their sons and grandchildren on the west coast, and summering in Connecticut to spend time with their daughter. While at the “Spa” she relished her volunteer work as a Welcoming Committee Member and Librarian.
She raised her three children on the banks of the Housatonic River in Oxford, Connecticut in a magnificent home that Al and she built which became a beloved place for family and friends to gather. They also lived in Langhorne Pennsylvania and in Windsor Locks Connecticut. Ellen was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout Den Mother and loved volunteering as a chaperone on her kids’ school trips.
She and Al became avid campers and brought their family up and down the east coast to historical landmarks each summer creating life long memories. They continued to camp well into their 80s while traveling cross country. She relished her time in retirement with Al as they both enjoyed attending Road Scholar Educational Adventures throughout the US and Canada. They considered themselves “recycled teenagers” who loved discovering new places and meeting new friends along the way.
In 2014, Al passed away just a few days shy of their 60th wedding anniversary. In 2015 at age 95, Ellen traveled to Alaska and then the following year to Hawaii. Both trips were in the company of her kids and spouses, which led to her mantra “Somebody up there loves me.” She spent the remainder of her life living a bi-coastal life style. During the warmer months she lived with her daughter Alexandria in Massachusetts and her son Mark during the winter in California.
She leaves behind her sons Leonard Pastick (CA), Mark Pastick (CA) and daughter Alexandria Windcaller (MA) along with their spouses Mayumi, Margaret, and Wendy. She also leaves behind her four grandchildren, Michael, Lydia, Angela and Charlie, 5 great grandchildren and many beloved nephews and friends from coast to coast.
Ellen modeled for all the ability to move through difficult life events to create a supremely elegant life filled with tremendous love, many a belly laugh, impeccable kindness and an appreciation for all that life offers. She will be lovingly remembered for a life well-loved and her moniker “Peace at any cost”.
A Memorial Mass will be held at Saint Augustine Church 35 Washington Ave Seymour, CT on May 27, 2023 at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at St. Augustine Cemetery, Seymour.
