Mary Ellen Whitfield's Obituary
Mary Ellen (Hannon) Whitfield went home to Heaven on Wednesday August 14, 2024. She is survived by her loving, devoted but teasing husband Peter of 43 years. Peter and Mary Ellen were together since junior year of High School. Mary Ellen took to heart the often stated phrase that two will become one. No matter the stress or strain, Mary Ellen would remind Peter that we were in this together. While she believed the two becomes one doctrine, she was overjoyed that two became eighteen as she is further survived by their daughters Kathleen and Kelly; sons Sean and Brendan; sons -in-love Frank and Paul and daughters-in-love Anne and Maria. Mary Ellen will be missed by her siblings Kevin Hannon II, Alyce Reiner and Dolores Bowyer. She will be terribly missed by her adoring fan club also know as her grandchildren: Jameson, Collin, Abigail, Brayden, Anna, Danny, Claire, Vincent, Patrick and a “player to be named later in January”. As the saying goes, her favorite people call(ed) her “Nana”.
Mary Ellen’s passing was both traumatic and beautiful. The trauma of a car accident put into motion a series of events that can only be described as God’s Golden thread. Mary Ellen had a strong devotion to our Blessed Mother and it was from the Vigil Mass for the Feast of the Assumption that put Mary Ellen on that tragic road. It was ironic that for a person that seemed allergic to technology; it was the technology in Mary Ellen’s phone that automatically activated a 911 call and a notification to Sean that the 911 notification had been made. Sean called Kelly who was able to discern that Mary Ellen’s phone was on a road but was not moving. Kelly then called Katie who was also at the Mass to try to go to the phone location to learn what was happening. Upon learning of the accident, Katie called the priest that said the Mass to ask that he get to the hospital. The priest arrived at the hospital and was able to administer all the blessings and anointings including an Apostolic Pardon as Mary Ellen was being wheeled into the Operating Room. Tragically, the efforts of the doctors and nurses could not sustain her heartbeat. A heart that held so many of us in her prayers was finally so full it broke. Mary Ellen was able to pass from this world with her sins forgiven and with a pardoning that earned her a place in Heaven.
Mary Ellen leaves behind a legacy of service and caring that endeared her to all. She would gladly give the shirt off her back and then ask if you needed anything else. Professionally, Mary Ellen graduated from the Columbia University School of Nursing. As a Registered Nurse, she worked in pediatric oncology, Washington Hospital Center Shock Trauma, Burn, Maternity and ICU Units. Later in her career, she moved into Hospice care and Nursing Education.
After she retired, she focused on Charity services. Coordinating Back-Pack buddies, providing meals to day laborers and serving hot meals from the back of a Salvation Army food truck.
Her biggest joy was praying. She was constantly praying. She started a Rosary Cenacle prayer group that met every 8th of the month in her home for over 10 years. This group was dedicated to praying for our Catholic priests. In her later years, she started a Tuesday afternoon prayer group and joined a Thursday morning prayer group. She was always on the phone praying a rosary or a Divine Mercy Chaplet with friends and family. Before her brain injury she would try to attend daily Mass. After she recovered but was still having severe memory issues, the only thing she could reliably remember was how to drive to St. Theresa’s for prayer group and Mass. When she couldn’t get to Mass she was a devotee of EWTN.
The world moved in Mary Ellen time which really means punctuality was way overrated. The family could be fashionably late for everything but Mass. Getting into Mass on time often required her to break into the “church trot” to get to a seat before the Priest finished walking down the aisle.
Spending time with her family and friends provided her with great enjoyment. The army known as the Hannon cousins was a great source of fun. Hannon Christmas parties, whether held at Christmas or in the middle of the summer was the chance to see her family. Mary Ellen really enjoyed her “too many to count” trips to Disney World. Taking her children was fun; going with her grandchildren was her obsession. Meeting characters and taking the grands on rides that she used to take her own children on provided her so much joy. She was constantly urging Peter to plan the next trip with the grands that had not made the trip, for many of us, going “Looping” in Fort Wilderness and creating the moniker “One Cheek Nana” was the best!
Mary Ellen always said that her goal was to get everyone she loved into Heaven. She has gone before us to provide guidance from above. The family is very appreciative of the outpouring of condolences. Truly Mary Ellen was the little pebble that created waves of happiness for so many people.
The family will receive friends on Thursday August 22 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Loudoun Funeral Chapel, 158 Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg, Virginia
The Mass of the Resurrection will be offered at 10:15 AM Friday August 23, 2024 at St. Theresa Catholic Church located at 21371 St. Theresa Lane, Ashburn, Virginia. Internment will be in Mount Cavalry Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia at a later date.
On-line condolences may be made to the family at http://www.loudounfuneralchapel.com
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