It was supposed to be just another October morning in the quiet streets of Philadelphia—but for Maria Camela Lazo Hannecart (“Ella”), it became the worst day of her husband’s life and the beginning of a grief no parent or spouse should bear. On October 30, while driving her usual route along School House Lane in the East Falls neighborhood to begin her day at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Ella’s car was struck by a gigantic tree that suddenly collapsed onto the vehicle. The accident claimed her life instantly.
In the quiet of his home, her husband Pierre Hannecart recalls how a police officer knocked at his door and delivered the unimaginable. “He said, ‘I have something to tell you that’s going to harm you,’” Pierre remembers. “Then he told me this awful story about the tree that fell on the car. I couldn’t believe it.” The anguish of that moment—shared by him, and soon by their three young children—marks the beginning of a journey through sorrow and memory.
Ella’s journey through life was marked by courage, service and an unshakeable heart. Born October 18, 1981 in Manila, Philippines, she moved to the U.S. and eventually settled in Philadelphia. Before joining Penn Presbyterian as a nurse practitioner in emergency medicine, Ella served abroad with Doctors Without Borders—in Haiti, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo—where she treated patients during an Ebola outbreak and met Pierre. Her biography describes her not just as a medical professional, but as a “Super mom, sweet daughter, loyal sister and fierce friend.”
At home, Ella and Pierre built a loving family with three children: Ethan, age 9; Noemi, 7; and Tristan, 3. The children’s ages were confirmed in multiple accounts. After learning of his wife’s sudden death, Pierre faced the heart-shattering task of telling the kids their mom 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,” he said.
Her colleagues at Penn Medicine describe Ella as deeply committed to her patients, accepting new adult cases in emergency medicine, and as someone whose compassion was both professional and personal. On the obituary posted by the funeral home, she is remembered as adventurous, generous, and always smiling—with distinctive high dimples and a buoyant spirit.
In the coming days, friends, family and community members will gather on Sunday, November 9 2025 at 2 p.m. at Our Mother of Consolation Parish in Chestnut Hill (9 E Chestnut Hill Ave., Philadelphia) to celebrate Ella’s life and legacy. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support the children and help the family navigate the road ahead.
Pierre says he wants Ella to be remembered not for the tragedy of her end—but for the truth and compassion she lived by. “Say the truth. Be compassionate and honest,” he says. “This is who she was, and this is how she has to be remembered.” In a life devoted to healing, kindness and family, Maria “Ella” Hannecart leaves a light that will not fade—even as her absence is deeply felt.