Eleanor "Ellie" A. Parkes, 93, of Lancaster passed away on May 18, 2023. She was born the sixth child of John and Mary (Wiensic) Pater in the spring of 1930. Born in Jersey City, NJ, she spent her career as a secretary and school administrator in the New Jersey School districts and later in food service in the Hempfield School District in Lancaster.

Ellie was always the life of the party. She was one to travel and explore, she ventured to Europe, Egypt, Israel, and Greece. Ellie was especially fond of Greece, where she stayed with her daughter, and fit in well with the lifestyle there. In her leisure time Ellie enjoyed a good mystery book, the scarier the better. She also dedicated some of her time to supporting the Lancaster Public Library. She loved food and wine and relaxing in the sun and swimming.

Left to cherish Ellie's memory is her daughter Nancy Parkes and her husband Kostas Karastergios; her grandchildren Eleonora Karastergiou and Theodore Karastergios; and her four great granddaughters Irida, Kleio, Adriana, and Melina.

A funeral mass will be held at St Philip the Apostle Church, 2111 Millersville Pike, Lancaster, PA 17603, at 10:30 am on Friday, May 26. Following mass, Ellie will be put to rest at Millersville Mennonite Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial donations in Ellie's name may be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital at stjude.org/donate