Ellen A. (Jefferson) Chaisson of Swampscott died on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. She was 73 and had been married more than 45 years to George “Ed” Chaisson.
She was born in Marlborough in 1953, the daughter of Philip W. and Anne L. (McKeon) Jefferson, raised in Marlborough and Danvers, and graduated from Danvers High School and then Framingham State College with a degree in psychology. She worked the cosmetics counter and later ran the home soft goods department at the former Filene’s before staying home to raise her daughters. She volunteered for their programs, led Swampscott’s Special Education Advisory Board and advocated for children with special needs, and helped care for her parents in their last years.
Besides her husband, she leaves her daughters, Michelle L. Kotarski and her husband Michael of Westfield, Elizabeth A. Chaisson of Magnolia, and Christine A. Chaisson and her partner Matthew Jones of Swampscott; her granddaughter, Sophia; her brother, Philip W. “Jeff” Jefferson and his wife Susan of Hamilton; her dog, Chase; and many in-laws, nieces, nephews and cousins. Her brother David M. Jefferson died before her.
Visiting hours are Thursday, October 29 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Solimine Funeral Home, 67 Ocean Street, Lynn, with a funeral service there Friday, October 30 at 11 a.m. Burial at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam is private. The family thanks the Kaplan House, Care Dimensions and the Pingree 4 staff at Salem Hospital, and suggests donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation or the Kaplan Family Hospice House, 78 Liberty Street, Danvers.
Compiled from information published by Solimine Funeral Homes. Photograph courtesy of the family via Solimine Funeral Homes. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
