Ellen Marsha Sirkis

Ellen was born to David and Betty in Washington, DC. She grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. Although she graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1962, and earned a Master's Degree in Health Care Communications from the University of Maryland in 1980, her favorite diploma was from the Pied Piper Nursery School, which she proudly displayed over her desk.

Ellen married Marvin Sirkis, the love of her life, in 1962. They raised their two daughters in Rockville. Ellen taught high school Spanish until her daughters were born, then managed her husband's dental office until they retired in 2000. She was an active and devoted volunteer with Caring Matters, a non-medical hospice in Montgomery County, for 23 years. Her father died when she was 10; as a volunteer, she focused on leading grief workshops and groups for children who had lost a parent.

In addition to her volunteer work for Caring Matters and other organizations, she enjoyed traveling the world with her husband, spending time with her family and many friends, writing and teaching.

She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Dr. Marvin Sirkis, her daughters Dana (Philip) Gloor and Callie (Igal) Pinto, her 5 grandchildren Evan Sarah Harris, Tomy Pinto, Jacob Wilson, Mack Pinto and Coby Pinto, her two great-grandsons David Harris and Theodore Wilson, her brother Mark Goldfarb, and a large and vibrant group of devoted friends and extended family.

Funeral services will be held on January 2, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Hines Rinaldi Funeral Home. Burial will be at King David Memorial Gardens at 1 p.m. The family will be in mourning at the community room at 3200 N. Leisure World Boulevard, Silver Spring, on Thursday, January 2, Friday, January 3, and Saturday, January 4, from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.