Maria Camela "Ella" Lazo Hannecart.

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

A 44-year-old mother of three who dedicated her life to helping others was killed when a tree fell on her moving car in Philadelphia, authorities and loved ones said.

Maria Camela Lazo Hannecart, known to friends and family as Ella, died Thursday morning, Oct. 30, when a large tree crashed onto her silver Mustang on West School House Lane in the East Falls section of the city, according to 6ABC. The crash occurred around 11:53 a.m., and Lazo Hannecart was pronounced dead less than one hour later.

Born in Manila, Philippines, Ella was the fourth of five children of proud parents Mena and Cecilia, her obituary on the Jacob F. Ruth Funeral Home website says. She moved to Philadelphia in 1991 with her siblings and went on to graduate as an athletic and academic standout from Triton Regional High School, her obituary said.

Ella earned her Master of Nursing Practice from Jefferson University and fulfilled her dream of serving others through medicine. Her passion for care took her around the world, volunteering in Congo, Senegal, and Haiti through outreach programs.

After returning from Congo in 2014, she met Pierre Hannecart, a French humanitarian she described as “a cool Frenchman” while serving with Doctors Without Borders, her family wrote. The two married in 2015 and shared nearly a decade of love and adventure together.

“Ella was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend whose compassion and warmth touched everyone she met,” her family wrote on a GoFundMe created to help her husband and children. “Her joyful spirit and love for life were contagious.

"Ella was known for her “infectious smile, distinctive dimples, and generous heart,” her loved ones wrote. She was a loving wife, a ‘super mom’ to Ethan, 9, Noemi, 7, and Tristan, 3, and a loyal friend who “made the world brighter through her kindness, laughter, and strength.”

A Funeral Mass and Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. at Our Mother of Consolation Parish, 9 East Chestnut Hill Ave., Philadelphia. Interment will follow at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Blackwood, NJ.

As of press time, more than $44,000 had been raised through the GoFundMe to support Ella’s family.

Memorial contributions may also be made to the Cardiac Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to support pediatric heart research and care.

Click here for Ella's complete obituary and here to view the GoFundMe for her family.