Ellen Marie McLaughlin was born on July 23, 1941 to Helen and Bernard McLaughlin. She was the oldest child of the Irish-American family. Her mother died when she was a senior in high school, and it fell to Ellen to maintain the house and care for her siblings. Her father, Bernie, was a functional alcoholic who went to work everyday no matter what at Liberty Mutual insurance company. Upon Ellen's graduation he helped her obtain a position as a receptionist. It was with this company that she would stay for the next 45 years. Ellen worked to send all 4 of her siblings through college. James (Jim) earned a business degree and created his own construction company; Daniel (Dan) earned a degree in engineering and work at Grumman Aerospace until his death in 1990; Jane recieved her degree in nursing and worked till retirement as a nurse then as a nurse consultant for Liberty Mutual; Robert (Emmett) went on to obtain a double doctorate in medieval art history and worked as a professor at several renowned universities where he met and married a fellow doctorate holder. Through a series of transfers within the Liberty Mutual company, Ellen worked her way up the ranks until she arrived at the level of Case Management Supervisor. This title she received when she moved to Gainesville. Although she never married, she was Godmother to many. After her best friend, Julie, died, she became surrogate mom/counselor to her children. She lived a solitary life until she entered the Neocatechumenal Way. It was here that she discovered the love of God and it was this community of brothers that assisted her in her last days.