Mary Ellen Mussman, 48, of Phoenix, will be missed greatly by all of her
family, countless friends and hundreds of patients and students whom she touched thoughout her beautiful life. Although she passed away on September 4th, 2006, her sparkle, compassion, genuine friendship, sincere love and beauty will live on with all of us. She had a level of integrity and committment to everything she did that brought out the best in herself and in all who knew her -- whatever she did, be it serving as a social worker, teaching her Spanish students, working on her numerous charitable projects, or loving her family, she did to the fullest. Her focus was always on seeking the greater good. Her passing leaves a huge void in all of us -- her passion, sense of adventure and vitality were like a shooting star that lit up our lives before it tragically died away. Mary Ellen was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. She graduated from Meadowdale High School, serving in student government, cheerleading and the honors society. She went on to Kent State University where, in four years, she obtained degrees with honors in both Spanish and Social Work. Her adventurous spirit then took her to Los Angeles, where she obtained her Masters Degree in Social Work, with honors, from UCLA and met her future husband, Jeremy. The two of them married in 1984 and moved to Phoenix, choosing it as the place where they wanted to raise a family. Mary Ellen was a beloved Social Worker at St. Joseph's Barrows Neurological Center for over 13 years, until her passion for teaching Spanish and working with children motivated her to follow her heart and become a Spanish teacher. She created her own innovative curriculum for many grades, from preschool through middle school, inspiring her students with her passion and emphasizing the beauty ot the language and the richness of Hispanic culture. Beautiful, vivacious Mary Ellen, was the love of the life for her husband, Jeremy, and a loving, caring, devoted mother to her two children, Logan and Erin. She is also survived by her parents Martha and David Hogg, sisters Nancy Stevens and Kelly Hogg, brother Kevin Hogg, his wife Lindy, along with numerous aunts, uncles, cousins nieces, nephews and inlaws. A memorial service and celebration of her life will be held at 4:00 p.m on September 17, 2006 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix, 4027 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Heifer Project, one of Mary Ellen's favorite charities.