Mary Ellen Hughes Leite

Mary Ellen Hughes Leite, 85, daughter of Merlin and Laura Hughes, who was born February 5, 1935, passed away at home on Friday, February 21, 2020. She married Tom Leite, July 13, 1957 at St. Ann Church, Fremont. They have two children, Paul (Amy) Leite and Susan (Mark) McClintock, five grandchildren; Austin, Noah, Claire Leite, Derek and Allison Batey, and one great-grandchild, Mason. She is preceded in death by her parents, brother, Merlin and sister, Susan.

She graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1953 and graduated from the College of Mount St. Joseph, Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1957 with a teaching degree. She then taught at the school she loved, the former St. Joseph High School and the current St. Joseph Central Catholic High School for 35 years. In her first years she wore numerous “hats", doing class schedules, public relations, the school newspaper, teaching English and Spanish and doing whatever else was needed for the good of the school. She taught for 35 years.

She always had her students’ interest in mind, both academically and socially. No matter where she went, she ran into former students who expressed how much she meant to them.

Ellen was an organizer, such as coordinating the monthly get together of her (former Red Hat) friends and functions with Tom and their friends.

After retiring the from school she loved in 1997, she volunteered at the hospital gift shop, was a Catholic Education Development Fund Board member, served lunches to the students at SJCC and was a member of the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary where she was Corresponding Secretary. In 2017 she and her husband were recipients of the Heritage Award at SJCC. She loved to play bridge with her friends at the Fremont Country Club and pinochle with Tom and their friends. She especially enjoyed the visits of her children and grandchildren and always planned special surprise events for them at the Christmas celebrations.

She will be missed by all of those whose lives she touched.

We want to thank all her caregivers; Dr. Mary Wonderly, nurse practitioner Beth Gabel, nurse Beth Light along with all they very caring caregivers at Heartland Hospice.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, February 26, 2020 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Herman-Karlovetz Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 900 North Street, Fremont, OH, 43420. Additional visiting will be held Thursday, February 27, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 709 Croghan Street, Fremont, OH, 43420. A Funeral Mass will follow at the church at 10:00 a.m. Rev. Michael Roemmele will officiate. Burial will be private at St. Joseph Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Tom/Ellen Leite and Family Scholarship Fund at St. Joseph Catholic High School or to Heartland Hospice.

To express online condolences, please visit www.hermanfh.com.