Ellen Marcus, a Manhasset resident for over 30 years, was born in Queens, NY on March 4, 1940, where she grew up. She graduated from Adelphi College with a B.S. in nursing in 1960. Her nursing career included many different facets, including teaching Obstetrical Nursing at Flushing Hospital Nursing School and at Adelphi's program at the Glen Cove Hospital. Over the years, she also taught CPR and natural childbirth and volunteered as a Patient Advocate at the North Shore University Hospital.

Mrs. Marcus also dedicated many years of service to the Manhasset School District. She was active in the School Community Association, ultimately serving as president. She was also a member of the Manhasset School Board for an unprecedented 3 terms during the 1980's and early 1990's, chairing many committees and holding several positions including president. She was a passionate promoter of quality in the school system, and was responsible for many enhancements to its programs.

Ellen Marcus' third, and foremost passion, was her family, to whom she truly devoted her entire life. These include her loving husband, David, and her three loving sons, Michael, Jeffrey and Kenneth, each of whom attended the Manhasset public schools for their entire pre-college education. She is also survived by her mother, Ida Turoff of Forest Hills, NY, her sister, Nancy Roth of Roslyn, NY, and three loving daughters-in-law and six grandchildren.

Mrs. Marcus passed away on April 5, 2006, after a long siege of Pick's disease, a form of dementia. She was interred at Beth Moses Cemetery in Farmingdale, NY.

Mary Louise McGee Miller of Mission Hills, Kansas passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 19, 2006 in the loving company of her family. A vigil will be held at St. Ann's Church, 7321 Mission Road, Prairie Village, from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, April 24. The Rosary will be said at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 25, at 11 a.m. at Saint Ann's Church. Interment will be at Calvary Cemetery in Kansas City, MO.

The family requests no flowers. Memorial contributions may be made to Our Lady of Mercy Country Home, 2205 Hughes Road, Liberty, MO 64068 or Little Sisters of The Poor, 8745 James A Reed Road, Raytown, MO 64138.

Mary Louise was born October 18, 1917 in Kansas City, Missouri to Margaret E. Cronin and Joseph J. McGee, the first of their "four gorgeous children" as they referred to them. She was devoted to her brothers Joseph J. McGee Jr., Thomas Robert McGee, and her sister Martha McGee Duffy, who predeceased her. Mary Louise was married to her loving and devoted husband of 39 years, Rear Admiral Harold Blaine Miller, USN, who died in 1992.

Mary Louise attended the French Institute of Notre Dame de Sion in Kansas City, and Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY, graduating in 1937 with an associate degree. She also attended the Sarachon Hooley School in Kansas City. In 1942 she joined Trans World Airways in Kansas City. In 1945, she transferred to TWA's office in Washington, D.C. where she witnessed President Franklin D. Roosevelt's funeral, the inauguration of President Harry S Truman, VE Day and VJ Day.

In 1947 she became executive assistant to the Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Conference held in Atlantic City, NJ, handling contacts with foreign delegates from 78 nations.

Mary Louise moved to New York in 1948, where she was to remain for the next 38 years. She became an executive secretary, first at the American Petroleum Institute, and later with the President of Radio Free Europe (RFE) where she worked with many Eastern European governments in exile.

In 1953, she married Rear Admiral Harold B. "Min" Miller, USN, who became the director of Public Relations for Pan American World Airways. After living in Manhattan for several years, they took up residence in Manhasset, New York on Long Island where they raised two sons, Blaine and Barry. Mary Louise was extensively involved as a volunteer in the local community including the Manhasset Community Chest and St. Francis Hospital. She served as the treasurer of the Flower Hill Association, and was an active member of the Junior League of the North Shore. She belonged to St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Manhasset.

Mary Louise traveled extensively, organizing many voyages for her family throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Particularly memorable were her visits to the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan, a safari in East Africa and visits to Beirut, Hong Kong and Jerusalem.

From 1967 to 1969, Mary Louise attended the New York School of Interior Design, earning her professional license. She created her own business, Mary Louise Miller Interiors, and was active in the interior design business for many years.

In 1986, despite their many attachments to Long Island, Mary Louise and Min decided to return to Kansas City, which enabled her to be closer to her beloved McGee family and to renew many friendships.

In Kansas City, she was a member of the Third Tuesday Group of Sustaining Members of the Junior League, the Friends of the Nelson Gallery, the St. Thomas More Book Group, the Rockhurst Library Guild, the Knickerbocker Investment Group, and the Navy League of Kansas City.

Mary Louise was a member of St. Ann's Parish in Prairie Village where she enjoyed volunteering at St. Mary's Food Kitchen. In 1996, she was invested as a Lady of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. She was a devoted supporter of numerous Catholic charities and institutions in Kansas and Missouri.

Mary Louise is most often remembered for her straightforward approach to life. She always "told it like she saw it." She meticulously organized her business and philanthropic affairs, her social calendar, and time with her boys and their families. Mary Louise had a wonderful sense of humor and particularly enjoyed spending time with the young and the young of heart. She was a skilled and prolific letter writer, chronicling events, big and small, in her exquisite handwriting.

During her lifetime, she was a dedicated and loving daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother. She is survived by her sons, H. Blaine Miller, Jr. and his wife Margaret of Colorado Springs, CO, and Barry Miller and his wife Edith of Bethesda, MD; and her five grandchildren, Blaine III, Christopher, Mariel, Victoria and Julia.