Sarah
Lee-Ellena 		Mark
Ellena 		Jeff
Ellena 		Christina
Stanley 		Maxine
Cambron 		Tom
Kowalski 		Laurie
Orlando


Sarah E. Lee-Ellena - Manager, Co-Owner, Licensed Funeral Director


Sarah Lee-Ellena is an early casualty of the auto industry downsizing. Her plan was to continue the family business, Bill Lee Oldsmobile. But General Motors eliminated the brand and the business closed in 2004. Thinking she was too young to retire, she settled upon funeral service as a new career. Her inspiration came from her experiences following her mother’s unexpected death five years before. Wanting to create meaningful final farewells for loved ones and continuing to stay in touch with the families afterwards, Sarah went back to school and became licensed.
          While at school she became aware of the new movements in funeral home architecture. Adopting ideas from the hotel and hospitality industry, Sarah envisioned a funeral home built for the modern consumer. The result is Lee-Ellena Funeral Home, which opened its doors in March 2008. The building offers a soothing and comforting atmosphere enhanced by the latest in technology.
          Sarah is a member of the Michigan Funeral Directors Association and the National Funeral Directors Association. Within the local community, she is actively involved with Habitat for Humanity, Central Macomb Optimists, and the Macomb Chamber of Commerce. She is the President Nominee for the Mt. Clemens Rotary.
          Along with husband Mark, Sarah attends Saint Peter Lutheran Church in Macomb, where she serves on the Parish Fellowship Board and sings in the choir.
          Sarah is the product of a truly Michigan-based education. She graduated from Mt. Clemens High School in 1967 and received a BA from Michigan State University in 1971. She earned her Master’s from the University of Michigan two years later. To realize her ambition to become a funeral director, she enrolled in the Mortuary Science program at Wayne State University, earning her BS in 2006.
          The Lee name is an integral part of Southeast Michigan. Sarah’s father, Bill Lee, was the owner of Bill Lee Oldsmobile—where Sarah spent ten years as General Manager.
          In her spare time, Sarah enjoys swimming and vacationing at her cottage in Canada. She has a teenage daughter at Eisenhower High School and three cats.


Mark Ellena - Co-Owner
Mark Ellena has made a career of helping those in need. He graduated from Lutheran High School East in Harper Woods, and then entered the automobile industry. There he spent twenty-five years designing transportation solutions for the physically and mentally handicapped. Mark currently attends Saint Peter Lutheran Church in Macomb. He is a self-professed car nut.


Jeff Ellena - Director of Operations
Jeff Ellena makes sure that the day-to-day operations of Lee-Ellena Funeral Home run smoothly. He works behind the scenes, doing everything from supervising the complex audio-visual technology used during funeral services to maintaining the spacious natural property surrounding the home.
          He intends to enter Mortuary School in 2009, so that he can play a more active role in funeral directing. He graduated from Livonia Stevenson High School in 2004. Jeff currently attends Saint Aidan’s Church in Livonia. His interests include fishing, snowmobiling, and computers.


Christina L. Stanley - Licensed Funeral Director
Christina Stanley has over a decade of professional experience in funeral service. She is a member of the Michigan Funeral Directors Association, the National Funeral Directors Association, and the Michigan Embalmers Society.
          Christina comes from a strong German background; her grandparents settled in Michigan in 1956. As a young girl, she grew up playing in her uncle’s funeral home. After graduating from St. Clair Shores Lakeview High School in 1996, Christina attended college at Wayne State University. There she earned her bachelor’s degree in mortuary science in 2004.
          In her spare time, Christina enjoys boating, the outdoors, reading, and spending time with friends and family.


Maxine Cambron - Receptionist
Maxine Cambron The first person you’re likely to meet at Lee-Ellena Funeral Home is receptionist Maxine Cambron. Max has a long history working with the Lee family: she worked at Bill Lee Oldsmobile from 1991 until the dealership closed in 2004.
          Max has three children and one grandchild. She is an avid Detroit Tigers fan and enjoys spending time with her grandson Dylan and her two labradoodles Sydney and Alice. She has a delightful sense of humor.


Tom Kowalski - Embalmer and Funeral Director
Tom Kowalski Tom is our master Embalmer. Having performed over 5,000 cases, he brings considerable skill and dedication to each decedent entrusted to his care. As a licensed funeral director, Tom received his Bachelor of Science degree in mortuary science from Wayne State University and his Associates degree in nursing from Macomb Community College. Tom grew up in Macomb County and began in funeral service in 1988. He is a member of the Michigan Embalmers Society and Michigan Funeral Directors Association. Tom currently lives in Macomb Township and is a member of St. Isidore Catholic Church. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus there, having attained the 4th degree.


Laurie Orlando - Aftercare Coordinator
Laurie Orlando Laurie is a licensed professional counselor, with a specialization in couple and family counseling, and wealth of experience in grief and loss issues. As a long time hospice volunteer she has been involved in Sandcastles as a facilitator of both children and adult groups, and started a “Growing through Loss” grief group at Treeside Psychological Clinic in Lake Orion. She maintains a private practice in Shelby Township.
          In addition Laurie is an attorney with an office in Harper Woods, Michigan where she had been practicing law in Michigan for over many years. This combination of talents allows her to access and provide many resources for Lee-Ellena clients.
          On the home front, Laurie is married with two children, two dogs, and one live in mother-in-law. She is an active member of St. Isidore parish in Macomb, where she teaches catechism and premarital classes. Laurie enjoys finding (and sharing) the humor in life’s situations, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.