Ellen Marie Moran

Portland - Ellen Marie (McCabe) Moran, 85, passed away in Portland, Maine on July 15, 2023. Ellen was born to James and Mary McCabe in Belmont, Massachusetts on May 20, 1938. She attended Cardinal Cushing College before entering the Cenacle Sisters as a cloistered nun on Long Island. After leaving the Sisters she taught elementary school and met John “Bud” Moran of Hyde Park at a dance at the Charles River Yacht Club in Cambridge. They were married on October 7, 1967 and moved to Quincy and then Milton, Massachusetts. In addition to raising two children, Maura and John, Ellen was very involved with both her local parish - St. Mary of the Hills - and the Paulist Center in downtown Boston. During the 1970s and 1980s the Moran home was host to many large and often theatrical parties - including Easter parades in Victorian garb down Blue Hills Parkway. In the 1990s Ellen and Bud moved to Wellesley and eventually Framingham where they lived happily on Harrison Place for over two decades. From her early days as a school teacher, Ellen always loved working with children, and some of her happiest moments were spent writing and performing children’s songs for her grandchildren and at elementary schools. Ellen was predeceased by her husband, Bud; and her siblings, James and Eileen. She is survived by her children, Maura and John; and her beloved grandchildren Matthew, Devin and Sonia. A visitation hour will be held at St. Pius X Church, 492 Ocean Avenue in Portland on Wednesday, July 19 at 10:00am followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00am. Burial will be held at a later date. Donations in Ellen’s memory can be made to Project Bread at the link below.