Obituary of Stacey L. Gorlaski

Stacey L. (Ellis) Gorlaski, 33, passed away at home on Saturday, June 1, 2013, in Lawrenceville, NJ, with her family at her bedside. She courageously fought her battle with cancer over the last 3-1/2 years. Born in Princeton, NJ, Stacey resided most of her life in Lawrenceville, before moving to Levittown, PA. She graduated from Lawrence High School and Mercer County College, attended Rider University, and graduated from Thomas A. Edison College. Stacey worked as a social worker at St. John Neumann Nursing Home in Philadelphia, PA. She truly loved working with the elderly and seeing that they received the utmost care. All of the residents responded to her warm, caring manner and lit up when she came to see them. Stacey loved to do crafts, decorate, cook, read, swim, go to the Jersey shore, and spend time with her family and pets. Stacey is predeceased by her maternal grandfather Robert Anderson, paternal grandparents Myrtle and William H. Ellis, step-grandparents Laura and Frederick Bentley, Jr., and stepfather Frederick “Butch” Bentley III. She is survived by her husband, Joseph Gorlaski of Levittown, PA, her mother, Roberta Anderson Bentley of Lawrenceville, her father, William H. Ellis, Jr., of Lawrence Township, her maternal grandmother Jane Anderson of Lawrenceville, stepsister Melissa Abrahams (fiancé George Jackson), stepbrother Kevin Bentley (partner Kirk Young), great-aunt Ruth Butler, aunts Diane Chauncey (Ken) and Janet S. Ellis, uncles Fr. Stephen Rozzelle, John Bentley, Arthur Bentley (Carol), cousins Christine Hough (Caleb), Lauren Field (Tim), David Rozzelle (Jen), Jennifer Bentley, and nieces and nephews; mother- and father-in-law Doris and Paul Kelsall, brother- and sister-in-law Jason and Amy Gorlaski, sister-in-law Laura Gorlaski, and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins that love her dearly; her best buds Patti, Lovleen, Nehal, Laurice, and Jocelyn; family friend Dolores Maik; and her pets, Scooter and Lucky, whom she adored. Special thanks to her nurses from Samaritan Hospice, who visited Stacey at home and gave her wonderful care. Also a warm thank you to Stacey’s nurses and Drs. Glassberg, Stevenson, Lin, and Swisher-McClure at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. A memorial service will be held at 7 PM. Calling hours will be held on Thursday from 5 until the time of the service at Poulson & Van Hise Funeral Directors 650 Lawrence Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. Interment will be held on Friday at 11AM at the Lawrenceville Cemetery, (Rt. 206) Lawrenceville. For those attending the interment, please go directly to the cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of Stacey L. Gorlaski may be made to the Popcorn Park Zoo, Humane Way at Lacey Road, P.O. Box 43, Forked River, NJ 08731-6551; The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation, Lockbox #1352, P.O. Box 8500, Philadelphia, PA 19178-1352; or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. For directions or to leave a condolence for the family please visit www.poulsonvanhise.com