Age 87
Inspired by her motto, “Love serves,” Sister Maryellen, a West Side Chicagoan, served as a dedicated teacher, principal, counselor and school president for over six decades. She will be
remembered for her sense of humor, compassion, and deep commitment to Catholic education.
She entered Sisters of Mercy in Chicago, Illinois, after high school graduation at the age of 19. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Saint Xavier University in Chicago, Illinois, and a master’s degree in guidance from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois.
Maryellen taught elementary school for over 40 years in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Peoria, Illinois; Chicago, Illinois; and Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin dioceses. She ministered for seven years in administration at St. Eugene School in Fox Point, Wisconsin, and three years as co-principal at St. Thomas Aquinas School in Chicago, Illinois.
Next, she taught and served as a school counselor for 20 years at St. Angela’s School in Chicago, Illinois, before becoming their principal for seven years. Last year the school created a fund in Maryellen’s name to address the mental health needs of the students.