Obituaries

Mary Ann (Evers) Ellis, cherished mother and grandmother, was born February 5, 1930 in Mansfield, Ohio, to Victor John. and Mary Elverda, and passed away December 13, 2017 in Bay City. Mary Ann was the oldest of four siblings pre-decease by John (Irene), Rev. Fr. Robert Barry and Nora. She was a long-time resident of Ferndale and parishioner of St. Mary Catholic Church in Royal Oak. Mary Ann was a member of the first graduating class of the Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic School in 1947. She went on to graduate from Marygrove College in 1951 with a degree in biology. In 1976 she received her master’s degree in molecular biology from the University of Detroit. In 1962 she married Edgar Ellis. Together they raised three children in Ferndale and enjoyed many years summering at their family cottage in Harrisville. Mary Ann also enjoyed a wonderful career-life working for Parke-Davis on the Salk-Polio vaccine during the 1950’s, working as a lab technician in endocrinology for Hutzel Hospital, Saginaw General, and Michigan IVF, as well as leading a lab at the University of Michigan as its interim-director. Mary Ann was a multi-talented person. Along with her accomplishments in education, she was also a talented artist and loved to sew. She also was driven to constantly improve her knowledge. Whether it was to learn a new language or advance her computer skills, she was always seeking out ways to learn new information. She also was a very prayerful and faithful person and enjoyed attending daily mass, and as a young woman, was a member of the Legion of Mary. She was fun-loving and cherished her relationships with her friends, especially and her long-time friend, Charlie Gerhard who passed away in 2001. Mary Ann is survived by Edgar as well as her three children, Ann Casadei (Mario), Clare Light (Kevin) and Garth Ellis as well as her four grandchildren, Reese and Beth Light and Caitlin and Erin. Casadei. She is also survived by many dear nieces and nephews. Funeral Mass Monday 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 730 S. Lafayette Ave. Royal Oak. Visitation at church begins 9:30a.m. Donations can be made in her name to The Solanus Casey Center: http://www.solanuscenter.org/about-us