Ellen Franco
5/1/2024
Ellen Franco, a life-long resident of Greenwich, CT, passed away on May 1, 2024. She was 88 years old. Born in Greenwich, Ellen was the youngest daughter of Edward and Nellie Sheehan, the adored wife of Vincent Franco, the beloved mother of four sons, Vinny, Chris, Mike and Rob Franco, and the cherished grandmother of nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Ellen graduated from the Academy of the Resurrection in Rye, NY, and from the Greenwich Hospital School of Nursing. Ellen worked for the first part of her career as a pediatric nurse at Stamford Hospital. After raising her children, Ellen left the nursing field and worked in banking, at the Putnam Trust Company in Greenwich, and later finished her career as the manager of the Stamford Postal Federal Credit Union in Stamford, CT.
Above all else, Ellen loved her family, and she loved people. She was a devoted and much-loved daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother. She was a loyal and devoted friend to her many close friends. She was a beloved and caring nurse to her young patients, many of whom suffered from severe medical challenges. And she was a supportive and helpful mentor to many members of the credit union she managed, often coaching them in managing their finances and gaining a more secure financial future.
Ellen had a great sense of humor, she loved to laugh, and she was fun to be with. Ellen was deeply interested in people and their lives, she was a good listener, and she gave excellent advice. It was often said that Ellen had a “sixth sense”, an ability to know things about people even before they realized it themselves, especially with her children. She was always kind and caring and supportive of reaching for personal goals; when a challenge existed Ellen's response was invariably, “don't worry we will figure it out.” And as Ellen's husband Vin and her sons would attest, Ellen loved to talk. Her children often said that she and their father were a perfect match in that regard – Vin had a strong, quiet personality, and Ellen cheerily “filled in the gaps”. Ellen, with her husband, created a happy and loving home for their family, and she always told her children that she was “the richest woman in the world because she had her husband and her four boys, which were more valuable than gold and all she would ever need”. Ellen will be remembered as a beautiful, smart, caring, funny and much-loved woman, truly one-of-a kind.
Ellen is survived by her sister, Nancy Sheehan, also of Greenwich, by her children Vincent Franco Jr. (Dawn) of Old Saybrook, CT, Chris Franco (Rachel) of Old Greenwich, CT, Michael Franco (Carla) of Riverside, CT, and Rob Franco (Sharon) of Johnson City, TN, by her grandchildren, Kelly Hamann Book (Greg), Andrew Franco, Lindsay Franco, Maddie Bauer (Dave), Grant Franco (Kiyoko), Turner Franco, Jessica Franco, Cayla Franco and William Franco, and by her great-grandchildren, Lucas Hamann, Wally Bauer and CJ Bauer. She was predeceased by husband Vincent Franco Sr., who was the love of her life, by her parents Edward and Nellie Sheehan, and by her brother Edward “Corky” Sheehan.
A funeral service to celebrate Ellen's life will be held at 10:30 am on May 13, 2024, at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 4 Riverside Avenue, Riverside, CT. Interment to immediately follow at St. Mary's Cemetery on North Street in Greenwich.