A sister to four brothers and two sisters in the Ellis family, and also a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the late Sister Mary Dee Ellis is remembered for having dedicated her life to others.
A sister to four brothers and two sisters in the Ellis family, and also a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the late Sister Mary Dee Ellis is remembered for having dedicated her life to others.
“She had a contagious smile, was quick to laugh, had a generous spirit, and was full of kindness and humility,” said her brother, Jim Ellis, a 1986 graduate of Immaculate Conception School and a 1990 graduate of Immaculata High School, who graduated from the respective schools just a year before his sister. “But the core of what would come to define Mary Dee was her strong faith and her commitment to God,” he told the current Immaculata High School student body, gathered in the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
Nearing what would be her 50th birthday, the family of Sister Mary Dee Ellis awarded a scholarship in her memory to Immaculata High School junior Samantha Hummel after a school-wide Mass last month. This marks the fifth year of their awarding of the Sister Mary Dee Ellis Memorial Scholarship, a $10,000 scholarship awarded each spring to a rising Immaculata High School senior who exemplifies the qualities shared by Sister Mary Dee: passion for excellence, commitment to faith, dedication to helping others, and selfless humility.
The IHM Sister attended Immaculate Conception School, from which she graduated in 1987, and Immaculata High School, from which she graduated in 1991, both Catholic parochial schools of the Church of the Immaculate Conception. During her years at the high school, she was active in chorus, folk group, concert band, and marching band, attaining the distinction of drum major in her senior year. Academically, she served as president of the National Honor Society and vice president of the French Honor Society.
Upon graduating from high school, she attended Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore, where she majored in biology and minored in music, having been positively influenced by her high school music teacher, Sister Dolores Margaret, IHM. From there, she graduated with honors in 1995, and three months later entered the religious congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Immaculata, Pa.. She professed religious vows in August 1998.
A teacher for 16 years, Sister Mary Dee taught at St. Cecilia School in Fox Chase, Pa., and St. Laurence School in Upper Darby, Pa., before being assigned to missions in Peru and Chile, where she served in educational, pastoral, and leadership roles.
Returning to the United States in 2014, Sister Mary Dee was assigned to formation ministry for her congregation, serving as directress of novices. She continued her education, completing a master’s degree in educational leadership in December 2017, and supported the educational ministry of Saints Simon and Jude School in Westtown, Pa., by serving on the school board.
Just months before her completing her master’s degree, in October 2017, at the age of 44, she was diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma, an extremely aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer, from which she passed away only three months later.
“The grace, strength, and faith with which she lived those last three months of her life, when she was so sick, were a true testament to who my sister, Mary Dee, was,” said Ellis. “I know that Mary Dee is now in the arms of God and this morning, I’m sure she’s smiling in an extra special way because she truly loved her time at Immaculate Conception School and Immaculata High School,” he told the students.
Through the scholarship, the Ellis family aims to preserve Sister Mary Dee’s memory and share her story with hundreds of people each year in the hopes it will inspire others to act in service, said her sister, Kathy Ellis, a 1982 graduate of Immaculate Conception School and a 1986 graduate of Immaculata High School.
Addressing the students, she said, “we challenge you to reflect on the story of Sister Mary Dee and ask yourselves, ‘What can I do in testament of my Catholic faith to help someone less fortunate; to help someone in need; to help make this world a better place?’”
“If the story of Sister Mary Dee’s life can have that effect, even in her absence, her impact will continue,” she said.
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Immaculata High School, a co-ed college preparatory high school founded in 1962, is committed to the development of the whole person within the framework of Catholic traditions and values. Guided by the pillars of Faith, Scholarship, Service, and Friendship, Immaculata integrates a challenging academic curriculum that promotes spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and social growth while fostering moral responsibility to self and others. For more information, visit: immaculatahighschool.org.