Mary Ellen Blackburn, 91, of Mt. Pleasant died on Thursday, March 17, 2016. 

     A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, March 23 at St. John’s Episcopal Church with the Reverend Wayne Nicholson, Rector, and the Reverend Nancy Casey Fulton, Deacon, officiating.  The family will receive friends at the church following the service.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Mary Ellen Blackburn and George M. Blackburn Choral Scholar Endowment or the John H. Goodrow Fund at St. John’s Episcopal Church.  Envelopes are available at the church or Rowley Funeral Home.

     Mary Ellen Blackburn was born at home on December 2, 1924 in Bedford, Indiana to Samuel A. and Dora Ellen Johnson.  She grew up in Southern Indiana and earned a BS in Education at Indiana University. 

     She married George McCoy Blackburn on June 22, 1952 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Bloomington, Indiana.  Prior to moving to Mt. Pleasant in 1959, she taught 4th grade for several years.  In Mt. Pleasant, she and George raised five children in their home on the Chippewa River and were long-time members of St. John’s Episcopal Church.  In 2006, she established The Mary Ellen and George M. Blackburn Choral Scholar Endowment.  The endowment honors her love for the music program at St. John’s, where George was a bass for many years in the choir. 

     Mary Ellen is survived by her children: Margaret Blackburn of Toledo, Ohio; Susan (Paul) Dumouchelle of Dublin, Ohio; Elizabeth (Tim) Brockman of Mt. Pleasant; Catherine (Tom) Nisbet of Brighton; and David (Carrie) Blackburn of Mt. Pleasant.  In addition, she is survived by eleven grandchildren:  Mark (Katie) Dumouchelle, Catherine (Bill) Schmidt, Sarah (Adam) Reusché, and Eric Dumouchelle; Ann Marie (Tony) Orren, Kate (David) Hodgkins, and Andy (Jordan Strom) Brockman; Mitchell Nisbet and Cara Nisbet; and Megan Blackburn and Matthew Blackburn.  She is also survived by four great grandchildren:  Luke and Elise Dumouchelle, Ella Orren, and Liam Hodgkins.

     Mary Ellen was preceded in death by her husband George (December 16, 2000), as well as her parents, two brothers Kenneth and Clifford, and one sister Jennie.