Pendergrast, Mary ellen
PENDERGRAST (MORSE), Mary Ellen
Mary Ellen Morse Pendergrast died on June 13, 2023, surrounded by her loving family. Mary Ellen was born on December 22, 1946, to Chet and Gene Morse. After graduating from Decatur High School, she received a B.S.N. from Duke University School of Nursing and an M.S.N. from Emory School of Nursing. While at Duke, she met the love of her life, Jeff Pendergrast, whom she married in 1970. She worked for DeKalb County Health Department as a Community Health Nurse, taught nursing students at Baylor (in Dallas, TX) and University of Maryland, in Baltimore.
Mary Ellen's life was enriched by many experiences that provided important life lessons. Her 1973, diagnosis and successful treatment of Hodgkin's Disease taught her what is important in life (relationships with others, not possessions). She learned how important prayer is for patients in helping to share the burden of a life threatening illness. Through all of this she learned how close mental health is to mental illness. The disappearance of her dear first born, Matt, at the age of 23, reinforced the importance of living each day to the fullest and expressing your feelings to your loved ones often. The increasing leg weakness over the last 28 years of her life gave her patience with disabilities and awareness of access issues.
Mary Ellen loved her entire life and was grateful each day for her many blessings. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sibling and cousin- serving as the fulcrum of both her immediate and large extended family. She enjoyed her work with the American Cancer Society, with cancer survivors and her work through Shallowford Presbyterian Church, teaching vacation Bible school and adult Sunday School, facilitating grief support groups, contributing a countless number of shawls to the prayer shawl ministry and singing in the choir. She was a member of the Flair Forest Garden Club for over 35 years and enjoyed the sense of community she found in this group. She was also devoted to the development of Woodlands Garden of Decatur, her former childhood home, which she and her siblings donated and helped develop into an 8 acre green space to benefit the community.
Mary Ellen is survived by her patient, supportive, devoted and wise husband of 52 years, Jeff Pendergrast; her daughters, Diana (John) Burk and Julie (Greg) Berry of Decatur; and grandchildren, Maddie and Ada Burk and Lana, Britt and Eli Berry; sisters, Anne (Jim) Topple and Genia (Kip) Duchon, of Decatur; and brother, Harry (Julie) Morse of Anderson, SC; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends. A Memorial Service will be held at Shallowford Presbyterian Church, on Thursday June 29, at 2 PM, with a reception following in the Great Hall, where family members will receive friends. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in her memory to Shallowford Presbyterian Church or Woodlands Garden of Decatur, Inc.
