Ellen Harding Casey, former First Lady of Pennsylvania, dies at 91
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — Ellen Harding Casey, former First Lady of Pennsylvania, died this morning, according to the Casey family.
RELATED: Funeral arrangements for Ellen Harding Casey announced
The Casey family announced that she passed away peacefully this morning at Regional Hospital in Scranton following a brief illness.
She was 91.
She was the widow of former Governor Robert Casey Sr., who passed away in 2000.
"We are mourning the loss of our mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother," the Casey family said. "She was the center of our family, and we are deeply saddened by this loss."On Monday, President Joe Biden released a statement on the passing of Casey, which is below:
On the many trips I’ve taken home to Scranton over the decades, one of the things I’ve looked forward to most was the chance to visit or talk with Ellen Casey – I truly loved her.I’ve often said that everything important I learned in life I learned in Scranton and you didn’t have to look any further than Ellen Casey to know why. To spend just a few minutes with Ellen was to get a lifetime’s education in Scranton values. Honesty. Decency. Integrity. Character. They were non-negotiable. It was who you were. Kindness was not a sign of weakness – it was a sign of strength. And no one was more kind. Hard work was expected. Family always came first. But life was about serving others. Public service was a public trust – an opportunity to help others and change lives for the better.She and Bob raised their eight children with those values, passing along a devotion to family and serving others.Growing up just a few blocks from the big Irish Catholic Casey household on Washington Avenue, I admired them from a young age. I got to know Ellen as an adult when I became a Senator, and I came to respect her even more. I watched the resolute and loving support she offered her husband, Pennsylvania’s former governor. I saw the work as she did as First Lady in literacy and breast cancer. And later, I saw the extraordinary young man she raised, my friend Bobby, become one of the most effective and respected members of the United States Senate.Ellen Casey lived a life of extraordinary dignity and grace. Jill and I will miss her dearly, never more so than on our trips back to Scranton. We’re grateful to her and Bob for giving the world so many wonderful children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, to carry on the Casey family legacy and values. Our hearts are with them today.Pennsylvania First Lady Lori Shapiro, on behalf of the Shapiro family, spoke of Ellen Casey's legacy.
"Ellen was an ambassador for the Commonwealth and her beloved home of Scranton," said Shapiro. "Like Governor Casey, she made family, health, and children part of her life’s work. Her work to raise awareness around breast cancer, literacy, and so much more made the lives of countless Pennsylvanians better. We are grateful to Ellen for her dedication to the people of Pennsylvania. May her memory be a blessing for her family and all of us who benefited from her service."Governor Shapiro has ordered U.S. and Commonwealth flags on all Commonwealth facilities, public buildings and grounds across Pennsylvania to fly at half-staff in honor of Ellen Casey.
ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7y6iamqRfqLKvrdOoqWaan5d6pK3SnrBmmZ6jvLa6wp6qZqyYmnqxrdKsoKefXaSzbrHLpZynZZiWv6W1zaBknJmjmsZuss6rpJ6qXZu2s7%2FTZqOanKlivKd5z56lp6upocOiusia