Ellen Patricia (Whalen) Belyea

It is with broken hearts that the family of Ellen Patricia (nee Whalen) Belyea announce her peaceful passing at the Saint John Regional Hospital on July 2nd, 2026, surrounded by her family, after a brief illness.

Born in Saint John on October 3rd, 1966, she was the daughter of the late Edward and Joan (Buckingham) Whalen. Ellen attended St. Vincents High School and then UNB, graduating with a BSc. in Chemistry.  She worked as a research assistant in the biology lab at UNBSJ for 32 years, retiring in 2023.

Ellen will be missed tremendously by her loving husband of 31 years, John Belyea, as well as her three siblings, Peter Whalen (Cathy) of Saint John, Michael Whalen (Debbie) of Bedford Nova Scotia, and Anne Whalen (Ken) of Dartmouth Nova Scotia.

Ellen and John met as kids “hanging out” on the streets of Millidgeville. As the years went by their friendship developed into a lifelong bond of love and partnership. John says that he could never have found a better person to live a life with. Together they enjoyed quiet times at home watching the animals that visited their yard, including birds, squirrels, deer, and the many visitors to their unofficial doggy day care.

When they chose to venture forth, the trips most often included time at the ocean. Ellen had a passion for whale watching. In fact, she and John are record holders for the most trips out on a couple of whale watching tours. The highlight of every year was the trip to Grand Manan Island along with Ellen’s sister Anne at “The Cottage”. This week was dubbed “Rancho Relaxo”.

We really hope that when we all get to heaven, we find you sitting on the porch patting Leo and Jasper.

Ellen was often seen as being reserved because she was quiet. However, it was because she was listening. Ellen believed in only speaking up when she had something to say. Ellen recently said that she didn’t have a lot of friends, but the ones she had were good ones.

We would like to thank them all on Ellen’s behalf for their support in recent weeks. Thank you to all who kept us company and who kept us fed. We would also like to thank our friends and family nursing team of Dawn Marie Hachey, Jackie Belyea and Emma Whalen for helping us navigate the medical system. We would also like to thank the staff of the SJRH in emergency, 4CN, and most especially Palliative Care. Your kindness and professionalism will not be forgotten.

Arrangements are entrusted to Fundy Funeral Home, 230 Westmorland Rd., Saint John, NB. A visitation will be held on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, from 10am – 11am, followed by the Funeral Liturgy at 11am. Interment will take place at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Norton, NB. In lieu of flowers, for those who wish, donations in Ellen’s memory can be made to the SPCA Animal Rescue League, or Bobby’s Hospice.