Ellen T. Russak

Ellen T. Russak, 70, of Berlin, wife of Mark Russak, DVM, passed away on Saturday, August 31, 2013 at Hartford Hospital after a long courageous battle with illness. Born in Oberlin, Ohio, she was the daughter of the late William and Miriam (Lemon) Tallmadge. Ellen was a Berlin resident from 1979 to 2003 when she and her husband moved to Mississippi. They retired and returned to Berlin in 2010. Ellen was a registered nurse and served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam era. She was formerly employed at Poudre Valley Hospital and later worked as a hospice volunteer and as a bookkeeper at her husband's veterinary practice. Ellen was a member of the League of Women Voters, and was a past president in the New Britain League of Women Voters and was a former treasurer for the State of Connecticut League of Women Voters. In addition to her husband Mark, she is survived by two daughters, Andrea Sadowski and her husband Daniel of Kensington, and Laura Russak of Watertown, MA; three grandchildren, Madelynn, Brandon and Zachary Sadowski; two sisters, Elizabeth Burgess and Alison Szewczyk, both of Berea, KY; and a brother, William Tallmadge of Buffalo, NY. A memorial service will be held on Saturday at 4:00 PM at Erickson-Hansen Funeral Home, 411 So. Main St., New Britain. Calling hours are Saturday, from 2-4 PM immediately preceding the service at the funeral home. Burial, with military honors, will be in Maple Cemetery, Berlin, CT at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the institutions that cared for Ellen during her courageous struggle so they will someday find a cure for this devastating disease. Brigham and Women's Hospital Cardiac Amyloidosis program Dr. Rodney Falk 116 Huntington Avenue 5th floor Boston MA 02116 Tufts Medical Center Trust Amyloidosis Myeloma Research Dr. Raymond Comenzo 800 Washington Street #231 Boston, MA 02111