Mary Ellen’s Funeral Celebration was held today in Orem, Utah.  Family and friends gathered to give her a lovely sendoff.  Mary Ellen touched lives all around the world and changed us for good.  She was witty and clever.  She was bright and insightful.  She made people feel Good.  She brought smiles to faces.  She loved the scriptures and prayer and singing hymns.  She loved to read good books.  She wrote letters to lots of people.  She loved stamps and making custom stickers with funny sayings.  She made amazing handouts.  She had perfect penmanship and a beautiful signature.  She gave 100s of talks to women and people seeking joy and peace in this life.  She did not take her self too seriously, but made everyone feel comfortable.  She was my dearest mentor and friend.  We lived together, worked together and served together.

When my family went through a period of struggle, her family took me in.  Her siblings became my friends.  Her mom fed me.  We spent many hours together in her family home.

Mary Ellen introduced me to the movie, “The Scarlet and the Black.”  She taught me the songs, “Simple Gifts,” and “I Want to Live,” by John Denver.  The first meal we ever ate together was a plate of tomatoes from her garden.  I watched her navigate the shortest distance between two points on the freeway, sticking to the fastest inside lane.  I learned to love big bags of theater popcorn eaten with Butterfinger bars.  She invited me into her mother’s chocolate factory to help pack homemade chocolates.  She invited me to help wrap gifts in her Christmas room (set up all year long).  We took road trips together. We went to the temple together often.  I watched how carefully she folded her sacred temple clothing and folded mine the same way.

When I was a South Africa visa waiter in the MTC in 1981 (staying 15 weeks total), she taught and trained me how to be a Welfare Services Missionary and serve people living in hard places.  In 1984 we were asked to direct a child health project in Nigeria.  We learned to shop in Army Surplus stores for supplies to help us live in Africa.  We shared an Africa Journal, with her typing on a manual typewriter while I helped dictate what we did each day.  We trained and helped teach 100s of dear women how to live more carefully.  We cheered on other missionaries and friends.  I taught her how to use a plunger to do our laundry.  We raised our own pineapple and popo plants.  We did some really hard things together.  We walked village roads.  We held hungry children.  We sang with Saints and we loved them dearly.  And we killed lots of flying cockroaches.  Our candle wax museum of dead bugs was legendary.

One of my last outings with Melon was a trip to see the Lindon Temple, the new Rock Canyon Temple,  a drive by the MTC and BYU, and then a tour inside the Orem Temple, where she was able to help me provide ordinances for some of my ancestors.  We had a perfect day.

I miss Melon all the time.  I miss knowing she’s just a visit away.  But I am thrilled she is now with so many loved ones and friends.  She has Promised to be there to greet me when I arrive when my turn here on earth is over.  We will return together to the places we loved and be with the people we served and Eternity will be joyous.

Here are the displays of her life from the funeral:

Mary Ellen is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Springville, Utah, by her beloved parents, Paul and Ella.  She missed her mom so much!  They are together again!

My live is so much better because this amazing woman was my teacher and friend.  I love her dearly.