Ellen Louise Raftery Koehne, who lived a life full of travel, reading, and love of family, died peacefully at her home in Severna Park, MD on March 14, surrounded by her family. Born October 25, 1931 in Brooklyn, NY to Edward and Marie (Titus) Raftery, Ellen moved to Scranton, PA to attend boarding school at Marywood Seminary. There she was educated by her beloved IHM nuns and made the most wonderful memories with her oldest friends. She went on to attend Marymount Manhattan College, graduating in 1953. After school, Ellen worked as a passenger rep for the New York Central Railroad; she met Anthony J. Koehne in Buffalo, NY and they married in New York City in 1954.

They made their first home in Tonawanda, NY, moving to Toledo, OH and Wilmington, DE before finally settling with their six children in Severna Park, MD. Ellen lived there for 55 years, first in Fair Oaks and then Cape McKinsey, where she made lifelong friends, including her treasured Fair Oaks Bridge Club (bridge was often secondary to beach trips and zany gatherings). Ellen was an active parishioner of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. She worked as a regular substitute teacher in the Anne Arundel County school system (much to her children's chagrin!) and president of the SPHS Boosters in the 1970s, was a Eucharistic minister at Baltimore Washington Medical Center, and an avid volunteer and board member of Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland.

A voracious reader and master storyteller, Madee – as she was known to her 19 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren – would effortlessly spin stories with detailed characters, scenes, and intricate multi-year plots. With incredible recall of historical events and an eye on current events and politics, Madee competed nightly with Alex Trebek, made quick work of crossword puzzles, and always had ready anecdotes about far flung relatives, friends, former students, or politicians. Her love of sports began in the 1930s, attending Brooklyn Dodgers' games with her favorite Aunt Nellie. While the Baltimore Orioles and the University of Maryland basketball teams ranked among her favorites, she followed all sports.

In her 91 years she traveled the world – to national parks, the Caribbean, and Europe; she loved participating in Elderhostels, meeting new people and turning them into friends. She adored traveling abroad with her daughters. Perhaps most treasured were the annual gatherings of Koehnes at Bethany Beach, DE – starting with 20 family members in 1994 squeezed into a single house and growing for 29 years to include 54 immediate relatives. As matriarch, she presided over the calm of the communal jigsaw puzzle and the chaos of sing-a-long bonfires and "Yankee Swap" gift exchanges, but most often she could be found with a book open and toes dug in the sand while her many progeny played in the nearby waves.

Ellen is preceded in death by her son, David (1970), husband Anthony (1994) and sister Marie (Raftery) Coneys, and survived by her brother Edward Raftery (Vero Beach, FL), five children: Barbara (John) Thomas, Mary (Dennis) Drymala, Anthony (Dianna Roles) Koehne, Daniel (Susan Kowalski) Koehne, Elizabeth (Paul) McCabe, 19 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, and countless friends.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, March 26, 2023 from 3-6pm at Barranco Severna Park Funeral Home, 495 Ritchie Highway, Severna Park, MD 21146.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, March 27, 2023 at 10am at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, 689 Ritchie Hwy, Severna Park, MD 21146.

The interment will be held on Monday, March 27, 2023 at 1pm at Baltimore National Cemetery, 5501 Frederick Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21228.

Contributions in Ellen's memory can me made to the following charities:

Catholic Relief Services ( https://www.crs.org/ )

CARE ( CARE )