Ellen Marie (Shinners) Ottaway

Ellen Marie (Shinners) Ottaway, 55, Hollidaysburg, died Friday, September 23, 2016, at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh.

Ellen was born in Pittsburgh March 7, 1961, daughter of Thomas and Barbara (Brown) Shinners. She married Brent M. Ottaway May 14, 1988, and they settled in Blair County in August 1990.

She is survived by her husband and their five children: Amanda, Luke, Zachary, Jesse and Casey. She was preceded in death by her parents and by her brother Patrick, of Greensburg.

Ellen was a 1979 graduate of Hempfield High School in Greensburg and earned a B.S. degree in Biology from Grove City College in 1983 and a B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Buffalo in 1987.

She was employed as a pharmacist at West Virginia University’s Ruby Memorial Hospital from 1988-90 and at Mercy Hospital/Bon Secours/Altoona Regional/UPMC Altoona since 1990.

A dedicated clinical pharmacist, Ellen’s passions were patient safety and antimicrobial stewardship—appropriate antibiotic use to reduce the development of resistant microorganisms. She was also known for her compassionate involvement on the hospital’s Palliative Care team.

Ellen was Brent’s Dream-Come-True and a wonderful, selfless, enthusiastic mother. She loved attending her children’s concerts, musicals, and basketball games, reading things they wrote, and supporting causes they cared about.

She enjoyed gardening and spent countless hours converting an empty hillside into a verdant, beautiful landscape for the family home.

Ellen was a frequent volunteer in the Hollidaysburg schools and community. She was an advocate for women’s rights, preserving the environment, and helping others, not just in Hollidaysburg but all over the world.

She was a long-time member of St. Michael’s parish in Hollidaysburg.

Friends will be received from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29, at Sorge Funeral Home, Inc., Hollidaysburg where a Vigil service will be held.  A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Michael the Archangel, followed by a luncheon at the Ottaway home. Committal will be at Greenlawn Cemetery, Hollidaysburg

Memorial contributions may be made to a favorite non-profit, Doctors Without Borders, which brings medical care to those who need it most around the world.

www.doctorswithoutborders.org