MOUNT CARMEL - More than 40 people gathered at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church Tuesday morning to say goodbye to a Hollywood star who called Mount Carmel home.
Ellen Albertini Dow passed away May 4 at age 101.
The Rev. Frank Karwacki recalled Dow's inadvertent interruption of a wedding he officiated in 2012 when the bridal party exited Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church to find Dow riding in a parade celebrating borough's 150th anniversary celebration. She was kind enough to join the group in the town park for photos after, he said.
Karwacki likened her lifestyle to her entertainment career.
"After many scenes, the play reaches its conclusion," Karwacki said. "Her life on earth was a dress rehearsal."
Dow's nephew, Carleton Strouss, recalled her lifelong commitment to education - as a teacher and as a student.
"She was first and foremost a teacher," he said. "She brought many smiles to many people."
At the conclusion of his eulogy, Strouss thanked the choir. He said his aunt would have done the same.
The funeral was attended primarily by family and friends, including several Mount Carmel Public Library workers and former Mount Carmel Mayor J. Kevin Jones.
Dow was interred in St. Peter's Cemetery, Mount Carmel Township, following the funeral. Funeral director Joseph J. Stutz noted the hearse used was the same that transported former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. She would have appreciated the celebrity connection, he said.