Ellen (Bailey) Witsch, DH’79, a former clinical associate in community oral health in Penn Dental Medicine, died on May 30 after a battle with breast cancer. She was 65.

Ms. Witsch grew up in Meriden, Connecticut, where she attended the St. Rose, Mercy, and Maloney High Schools before studying at St. Elizabeth University. She then received a certificate in oral hygiene from Penn’s School of Dental Medicine, graduating in 1979. While a student at Penn, she worked in dining services. In 2007, she returned to Penn Dental Medicine as a clinical associate in the department of community oral health, mentoring students and teaching courses. She left Penn in 2020.

Ms. Witsch lent her skill to diverse social causes, sending care packages to civilians affected by tragedies in Ukraine and Haiti, cooking dinners for refugees, and donating her skills as a dental hygienist.

She is survived by her husband, Michael; her children, Michael (Aimee), Stephanie, Jeffrey, Jennifer (Scott); her grandchildren, Laila and Emmett; her mother, Mary; her siblings, Mike (Sue), Ann, Chris, Beth (Charlie), Ned (Meg), and Tom (Karla); and nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was predeceased by her father, Robert Bailey. Donations in her memory can be made to the Haitian Health Foundation (https://www.haitianhealthfoundation.org).