Mary Ellen C. Van De Water passed away on Oct. 31, 2017
Mary Ellen C. Van De Water, 93, formerly of Longmeadow and Orleans, Mass., died on Oct. 31 at Medford Leas in Medford.
Mary Ellen Chamberlain was born on Feb. 4, 1924, in Chicago, Ill., to Sydney Dakin Chamberlain and Mary Paine Chamberlain of Walpole, MA. A 1945 graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a degree in music, Mary Ellen taught for a year at Tenacre School, then married Livingston Van De Water, Jr. on Aug. 31, 1946. They lived in Litchfield and Southington, Conn., early in their married life, then in Longmeadow, Mass., where they raised two sons and a daughter. They retired to Orleans on Cape Cod in 1979.
Beloved wife of 60 years, Mary Ellen sadly lost her husband in 2006 and was also predeceased by her brother, Sydney Dakin Chamberlain, Jr. She is survived by her sister, Harriet C. Wilson, of Ravenna, Ohio. Her remaining family includes her children, Livingston Van De Water III of North Egremont, Mass., Margaret Van De Water Van Meter of Moorestown, Wesley Dakin Van De Water of Orchard Park, N.Y., and their spouses, as well as seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, several nephews and a niece. She loved them all dearly.
Mary Ellen deeply enjoyed choral and orchestral music and she was a highly regarded soprano soloist. Always a faithful church member, she sang in choirs at First Congregational Church (Southington, Conn.) and First Church of Christ in Longmeadow, where she sang professionally for more than 20 years. The Federated Church of Orleans (Massachusetts) and First Presbyterian of Haddonfield, as well as the Chatham Chorale (Massachusetts) benefitted from Mary Ellen’s musical gifts over the years. A compassionate and encouraging teacher, she led a Girl Scout troop, tutored children with learning differences, was a vocal instructor at Bay Path University and taught voice privately in Longmeadow.
In her early years, Mary Ellen was a camper at Luther Gulick Camps in Sebago Wohelo (Maine), where she also served as Head Counselor. She was president of her class at Mt. Holyoke College in her senior year and for 10 years thereafter. She was a member of many committees at First Church of Christ in Longmeadow and Federated Church in Orleans, where she served as a Deacon and co-chair of the Music and Pastor-Parish committees.
A celebration of Mary Ellen’s life and legacy will take place at a memorial service at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, at Medford Leas in Medford. A service and interment will take place in Orleans, Mass., in the summer.
Memorial donations may be made to First Presbyterian Church of Haddonfield at www.haddonfieldpres.org.
Condolences may be left at www.lewisfuneralhomemoorestown.com.
