Ellen M. McNett
Ellen M. McNett (nee Leigh), died on April 11, 2025, at the age of 82 in Schenectady, N.Y., where she had made her home for many decades.
Born on Nov. 26, 1942, in Chardon, Ohio, Ellen was the daughter of Vera and Thomas Leigh. She grew up in Newbury Township, Ohio, with her siblings, Edward, Mary Ann and Thomas, all of whom preceded her in death.
After graduating high school, Ellen joined the U.S. Navy, proudly serving as a maternity nurse in Queens, N.Y., before moving to upstate New York, first to Albany and starting a family and then moving to Schenectady.
Ellen married her husband, Daniel E. McNett, on July 17, 1965.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Russell Sage College in 1974, having also attended Albany Junior College.
Ellen had a long and respected career with the U.S. Postal Service, where she served as a clerk and built lasting friendships with many coworkers. She was an active union member and played a key role in organizing the 100th Anniversary celebration of the Schenectady Post Office.
She is survived by her husband of nearly 60 years, Dan; her three children and their spouses: Jenny and Richard Hayes, Sara and Jason Bach, and Eli and Tiffanie McNett. Ellen was a devoted grandmother to Alison Hayes, Jackson and Cooper Bach, and Declan and Isla McNett, all of whom she cherished deeply.
Her interests include traveling anywhere, dinner parties with her friends, eating something delicious, and not working. For years, Ellen was an active volksmarcher as well as a longtime member of Schenectady-Nijkerk Council and traveled five times to Nijkerk, The Netherlands, gaining friends after every visit.
She was very good to her family and she really enjoyed spending time with her good friends.
She was an excellent cook.
Her sense of humor and zest for life will be dearly missed by all who knew her.
An interment burial service will be held on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at 11 a.m., at South Newbury Cemetery in Newbury Township.
