Mary Ellen McOwen

Mt. Morris, IL – Mary Ellen McOwen, age 93, formerly of White Lake, Michigan, died Tuesday, November 2, 2021 at Pinecrest Manor in Mt. Morris.  She was born July 28, 1928 in Lodi, Ohio, the daughter of Homer and Alvena (Miller) Kohli.  She graduated in 1946 from Chatham High School in Chatham, Ohio. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Geology and English from Bowling Green State University in 1950.  Mary Ellen married Doyle McOwen on July 14, 1951 in Chatham, Ohio.  She taught high school English at Flint Northern High School for 25 years, where she was chairman of the English department. Mary Ellen was a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church.  She was predeceased by her parents and husband Doyle.  She is survived by her 3 daughters: Pamela Steele (Terry Schuster) of Oregon, Illinois, Patrice Steele (Gordon) of West Bloomfield, Michigan, Cynthia Poole (Kevin Seiler) of Littleton, Colorado. She is also survived by 7 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren.  As a high school English teacher, Mary Ellen published a recommended list of classic literature for high school students.  The Book Mark has a copyright date of 1977. She followed that publication with a 190-page book researching her father’s genealogy, entitled Kohli Kinship, copyright 1988. In addition, Mary Ellen was blessed to be the owner of extensive correspondence between her great-grandmother and great-grandfather during the American Civil War. After much research, she penned Seven Months a Soldier, based on the letters in her possession, copyright 2014.    Mary Ellen was a quilter and enjoyed participating in the Quilters Guild in Flint, Michigan. She was active in the Flint Institute of Arts, and sang in the choir at Trinity Methodist Church. Her family will celebrate her full and active life together in a memorial service in Flint Michigan where private burial will also take place.