PHILADELPHIA – A Philadelphia husband and father is mourning the unimaginable loss of his wife, Maria Camela Lazo Hannecart, known lovingly as Ella, who was tragically killed on October 30 when a large tree fell onto her car as she was driving to work.
Ella, a nurse practitioner at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, was on her usual route along School House Lane in East Falls when the accident occurred. Authorities say the tree suddenly fell, crushing her vehicle and killing her instantly.
Her husband, Pierre Hannecart, described that day as the worst of his life. He recalled the moment a police officer arrived at his door to deliver the devastating news.
“He said, ‘I have something to tell you that’s going to harm you,’” Pierre remembered. “Then he told me this awful story about the tree that fell on the car. I couldn’t believe it.”
Ella lived a life of compassion and service. Before joining Penn Presbyterian, she had dedicated much of her career to Doctors Without Borders, volunteering in Haiti, Senegal, and the Congo, where she bravely cared for patients during the Ebola outbreak. It was in the Congo that she met Pierre, the man who would become her husband and the father of her three beautiful children.
“She grabbed my hand on the back and she held it ever since — until last Wednesday,” Pierre said softly.
Together, they built a loving family, raising three young children, ages 3, 7, and 9. The most difficult moment for Pierre came just hours after learning of Ella’s death, when he had to tell their children that their mother was gone.
“I put them next to each other. I told them, ‘What I’m going to tell you is going to change your life forever.’ They all cried at the same time, and we all hugged each other.”
A funeral service for Ella will be held on Sunday, as friends, family, and colleagues gather to celebrate her life and honor her memory. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support her children and help the family navigate the difficult days ahead.
Pierre says Ella’s legacy will live on through the values she carried in her heart — honesty, compassion, and love.
“Say the truth. Be compassionate and honest,” he said. “This is who she was, and this is how she has to be remembered.”
Ella’s life was one of purpose and love — a life devoted to healing, kindness, and family. Though her time on earth was tragically cut short, her spirit continues to shine through the lives she touched and the love she left behind.
May Maria ‘Ella’ Hannecart rest in eternal peace — a devoted wife, mother, and healer whose light will never fade.