Our beautiful earth angel and mother, ELEANOR JOAN RATHGEB, aka: Miss Ellie, took flight

comfortably surrounded by family on Saturday, December 9, 2023. Mom was 89-years young.

Miss Ellie was an extraordinary mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, sister, cousin

friend, and mentor to many. She had an amazing zest for life and received her golden ticket

from God to be with the stars. By now, she has staked out all the happy hours, igniting the

afterlife dance floor while reuniting with her dearly departed siblings: John (Jack), Richard,

Jeremiah (Jerry), Joseph and Patricia, along with parents Eleanor P. Callahan and Urban Henry

Strouse, Nanny (Aunt Anna Drewes), Aunt Grace Callahan, and adored grandson, Patrick

Rathgeb, as well as other beloved family/friends who have passed, but never forgotten. Miss

Ellie's surviving siblings include Urban Jr. (wife Bonnie), Anna Marie Vinnecombe and Kathleen

Streeter (husband Dennis).

Miss Ellie raised five children Richard, (wife Christine), Kenneth, SR., (wife Donna), Beth Ann

Carboy (husband Joseph), Brian (wife Pamela) and Paul John (wife Tenaya) in a close-knit

neighborhood community located in northeast Philadelphia before moving to Lafayette Hill in

1980. After moving out of the concrete jungle and into the suburbs, Miss Ellie was determined

to earn a college degree regardless of her age (early 60's), enrolling at Montgomery County

Community College. She studied diligently and went on to receive, with honors, her associate

degree. In Lafayette Hill, Mom continued to parent, all while being a full-time in-home

caregiver for youth with different abilities.

Surviving grandchildren include: Kenneth Jr., Matthew, Eric, and Danny (Parents: Ken Sr. &

Donna); Sarah and Rebecca (Parents: Rick & Chris); Justin, Jessica, Jared, & Joshua (Parents:

Beth Ann & Joseph) & Dakota and River (Parents: Paul & Tenaya). The great grandchildren

include: Kenneth III, Emilee, Brielle, Jakob, and Hazel (Parents: Kenneth Jr. & Amy) and

Samantha, Matthew Jr., Alex, and Raelyn (Parents: Matthew & Jaclyn).

Miss Ellie made a bold move at the tender age of 9. She boarded a trolley in North

Philadelphia, by herself, with only a dime in her pocket to go live with her beloved Nanny who

raised her. Miss Ellie's tenacity for seeking independence began at an early age and never once

faded. Nanny, along with her husband, owned a bakery at 1112 Gerald Avenue in North

Philadelphia. Miss Ellie would invite grade school friends from Saint Peter's Catholic School over

to the bakery for free donuts before moving on to Hallahan High School. It was at Hallahan High

School that Miss Ellie met her lifetime friend, Helen Ciandra.

Mom always described her occupation as a domestic engineer while she raised her own

children and others. She provided her family with every resource possible so they could be

successful - always leading by example. When the children were grown, Miss Ellie decided it

was time for her to make a difference in the working world. She held several secretarial

positions at the Whitemarsh Country Club, various law firms and the Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC) to name a few. Mom loved and excelled in the workforce, quickly making

friends. She again clearly demonstrated to others that it was never too late to achieve one's life

goals.

Growing up above a bakery laid the groundwork for Mom's strong work ethic and

entrepreneurial spirit. Miss Ellie invested and managed five properties in beautiful Myrtle

Beach, SC - a place she will always call home. Her time in Myrtle Beach was chalked full of

beach time, strolls at the Marsh Walk, entertaining a steady influx of visitors, golf carting and

crocheting garments for the local church.

Mom was a big fan of playing games, including Yahtzee, Dominoes, Phase 10 and Rummikub.

She cherished game night with friends, and they had a blast!! When she was going out on the

town, you could find her wherever trivia and DJ Bingo were being played, which was typically

during happy hour. Discounts and fun at the same time!! Simply put, Miss Ellie was a social

butterfly.

Miss Ellie knew all the hot spot restaurants/bars, which she happily shared with everyone so

they could also enjoy, many times under her company. She knew exactly where to go for the

freebies and the discounted drinks. We always thought she should have started a happy hour

tour guide. Mom always maintained a spark for traveling and adventure seeking with her free

caring spirit.

Miss Ellie had quite a few nicknames over the years as the great ones do: Miss Ellie, El, Eleanor

Joanie or to a Myrtle Beach bartender, Sweetie. She never complained, was selfless, loving,

smiling, laughing and always had a sassy sarcastic comment or laser quick-witted response.

Miss Ellie was super sharp, adventurous, charming, and always a fearless protector and leader.

Because of her charismatic personality, Miss Ellie attracted the finest neighbors and friends in

Myrtle Beach. We are truly blessed for the magnitude of care they provided to Mom over the

years – our family is forever grateful.

Miss Ellie, during her days in Myrtle Beach, was an active member at the Moose Lodge, the

Mongomery Elks Club and the American Legion, where she also volunteered. She was

extremely generous and consistently donated to some of her favorite charity organizations, to

include: Saint Jude Children's Research, Our Lady of Confidence School and Friends of the

Children. If anyone would like to donate to one of these charities in Mom's name, that would

be wonderful and quite meaningful.

Miss Ellie always contributed to organizations that would center around youth. Her infectious

joy and unbelievable kindness impacted so many lives and will be dearly missed. She is a

mentor to many and we are forever grateful for the impact she has had on our lives, especially

the lives of the children.

Our family wants to share our immense gratitude to the palliative and hospice care teams in

Myrtle Beach and in PA. Mom had nothing but a deep appreciation for the compassionate care

provided by her amazing medical care team. Our family is tremendously grateful for your loving

care of our Miss Ellie.

And lastly, but certainly not least, a shout out to Brian, Pam, Junior (dog/son), and all the dogs

at the K9 Confidants Resort where mom received the greatest care a loved one could ever

receive. The dogs at K9 Confidants Resort were guardian angels and stayed by her bedside up

until her last breath. Junior did not want her to go, as he lay on her bed by her feet.

Let us continue to honor Mom's life and legacy through loving acts of generosity towards each

other, especially those less fortunate. Miss Ellie has her wings now and will be looking over

family and friends. She would have wanted it this way. We are truly blessed, as she has indeed

touched so many lives.

Service(s) will not be immediate and are pending once final arrangements can be made. Miss

Ellie is a bit of a celebrity and quite popular in several states, so her life celebration services will

have no limitations. We hope to publish the digital obituary again, prior to the service, so that

everyone has an opportunity to plan.