Mary "Ellen" Harmon

On October 8, 2021, Mary "Ellen" Harmon, wife and mother, passed away in Stockbridge, Georgia at the age of 96. Ellen was born on July 22, 1925 in St. Mary's, Ohio to Edward and Rose Ruther. She was the eldest of five children and is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Parks Harmon, her brother Edward Ruther, and her sister Rita Diller. She is survived by her daughter Mary Harmon of Rex, Georgia, her sisters Kathleen Telljohann and Becky Spees, as well as several nieces and nephews. Ellen graduated from Memorial High School in 1943. In the senior yearbook, she is quoted as saying her ambition was "to be a success". Throughout her lifetime, Ellen met and exceeded her goal. After graduating, she studied nursing at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. Once her training was completed, she served as a nurse in the South Pacific. Ellen met her future husband, Parks Harmon, while in Guam during his enlistment in the Army Air Core during the latter part of World War II. They married in 1949. Her time as a military wife included stops in Germany, France, Texas, and Tennessee. After the family settled in Murfreesboro, Tennessee Ellen stayed home to raise her daughter until Mary was in high school. At that time, Ellen returned to nursing and joined the staff at the Alvin C. York Veterans' Administration Medical Center. Ellen was a parishioner in the Murfreesboro parish of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church for nearly 60 years and actively participated in various ministries and events. Early on she helped take care of the roses on the church grounds, was involved with altar care, helped establish the Clothes Closet, and was a member of the funeral ministry and senior Ladies Guild. Ellen had a passion for gardening, backyard feathered friends, and traveling. She often told others, "I love adventure." She enjoyed playing her favorite card game "Shove It" with her friends and worked hundreds, if not thousands, of jigsaw puzzles along the way. For the past year, Ellen has been a member of the St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church in Jonesboro, Georgia. Ellen Harmon was a humble woman of faith who quietly served God's children. Her Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church in Jonesboro, Georgia with Fr. John Koziol, OFM Conv. officiating. The family will receive friends from 9:30 - 10:30 AM at the church before the service. The St. Philip Benizi Funeral Ministry will host a reception in Founders' Hall following the Mass. Burial will be held at Rose Lawn Memorial Gardens in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Flowers will be accepted, or donations may be made in Ellen's memory to St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, Attn: St. Vincent de Paul Society, 591 Flint River Road, Jonesboro, Georgia 30238.

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Mary "Ellen" Harmon

July 22, 1925 - October 8, 2021