Ellen Sanford

CELEBRATION OF LIFE

And when great souls die, after a period peace blooms, slowly and always irregularly. Spaces fill

with a kind of soothing electric vibration. Our senses, restored, never to be the same, whisper to us.

They existed. They existed. We can be. Be and be better. For they existed. - Maya Angelou

Our mother and loved one, Ellen Frances Sanford , now rests in the loving arms of the Lord. Ellen departed this life peacefully on Thursday, September 3, 2020 while in the company of her sweetheart Jimmy Anthony Brown.

Ellen was born on June 25, 1952 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to the late Frances and Herman Sanford. She was preceded in death by her two sisters Joyce and Jacqueline Sanford.

Ellen received her education from the Philadelphia Public School System and attended Community College until she began working for the United States Postal Service. Afterwards, she held various jobs, but relished being a Correctional Officer for the City of Philadelphia Prisons most.

Ellen was a dedicated mother to her two children Bernard and Jacqueline Sanford. She was an even more nurturing and loving grandmother to her grandchildren: Sabriyah, Elijah, Judah, Amber, Eric Jr., Autumn, Tiara, McKinley, and Bashirah. Her children and grandchildren were her world. She often would tell her children “I love y’all, but I would take a bullet for them.”

Ellen instilled many principles into her family. Being strong-minded, self-sufficient, having integrity, sticking together, and standing up for oneself are just a few. Ellen, aka Lulu, was a mother and friend to many. She enjoyed listening to good music, watching criminal shows on TV, shooting the breeze, and making people laugh.

To cherish her memory, Ellen is survived by her children Bernard and Jacqueline Sanford, nine grandchildren, a host of nieces and nephews (two who were near and dear to her heart, Andre and Deidre), aunts, cousins, other relatives and a host of friends. She leaves behind one brother who is the last of ‘Charlie’s Angels’, Herman L. Sanford