Ellen Phyllis McCarthy, known as Firozia to her friends, 78, of Wheaton, MD died on Friday October 24, 2025 at the Casey House (Montgomery Hospice).

Ellen was born on January 30, 1947 in Brooklyn, NY to Sadie and Irving Polansky. She grew up in New York. She moved to Maryland in her early thirties and, from then on, she lived in Maryland except for several years in Washington, D.C.

Ellen majored in Sociology at the University of Buffalo (now SUNY-Buffalo). She completed a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education at the Bank Street College of Education. She attended art school in New York City.

As a kindergarten teacher, Ellen helped kids to learn how to read. As a voice teacher, she helped adults to learn how to sing. She was a gifted hands-on healer who had special healing hands. She was interested in alternative healing, spirituality, art, music, and dance. She was an amazing mother whose love and kindness were exceptional.

She is survived by her daughter, Serena Elizabeth McCarthy, and a number of cousins. Her husband, David Dennis McCarthy, predeceased her in 2022.

Memorial contributions may be made to Brookside Gardens , 1800 Glenallen Avenue Wheaton, MD 20902.

Brookside Gardens
1800 Glenallen Avenue, Wheaton MD 20902
Web: https://montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/brookside-gardens/