Mary Jane Herrell Obituary

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Mary Jane Herrell Obituary

[From the Herald - Times, Bloomington, Indiana, Thursday, February 8, 2001.]

Mary 'Janie' Herrell, 77
Sept. 14, 1923 - Feb. 6, 2001

Morgantown - Mary Jane "Janie" Herrell, a longtime resident of the Woodland Lake community in Brown County, passed away Feb. 6, 2001, at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after a long illness.

A great-niece of Austin Herrell, one of the founders of the town of Miami, Deer Creek Township, Miami County, Mary Jane was born Sept. 14, 1923, to Rue and Ida Maybel Cassingham Herrell. She attended the local grade school and graduated from Clay Township, Miami County Indiana High School in 1941.

She attended Marion College in Marion, Butler University in Indianapolis, Marian College in Indianapolis, and completed her undergraduate courses for a double major in chemistry and zoology at Purdue University in Lafayette. Mary Jane was employed at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for nearly 30 years, serving as the night shift supervisor of clinical laboratories for most of those years.

She was a member of the American Society of Medical Technologists.

She retired from Methodist Hospital Dec. 15, 1985, to her home in Brown County, where she pursued her lifelong interests in home building, carpentry and her favorite sport, fishing.

Mary Jane was well known in her community for her love animals, especially those who were abandoned or abused. In addition to her devotion to animals, Mary Jane loved to play hymns on her organ. She also played the clarinet, saxophone and accordion. She studied oil painting with well-known Brown County artist Kaye Poole and loved to paint. Over the past two years, she had devoted much of her time to the research of her family's genealogy and found great pleasure in corresponding with others in the family pursuing the same interests.

She is survived by her companion of 35 years, Meg Whisenhunt of the Woodland Lake community; one nephew, William Rue Herrell of Peru, Ind.; three nieces, Mona Jo Tacker of Millersburg, Penelope Jane Barrows of Hot Springs, Ark., and Addie Mae Reed of Peru, Ind.; 10 great-nieces and great-nephews, and several great-great-nieces and great-great-nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents and three brothers, Lester Leroy Herrell, Elden Edward Herrell and Chester Dee Herrell.

Services will be 11 a.m. Saturday at Meredith-Clark Funeral Home in Morgantown with Ronald Reed officiating. Burial will be at Galveston Cemetery in Galveston, where services will be conducted 3 p.m. Saturday.

Friends may call 5-7 p.m. Friday and from 9:30 a.m. until services Saturday at the funeral home.

The family requests that donations be made to Brown County Humane Society, 128 S. Ind. 135, Nashville, IN 47448, or National Kidney Foundation, 911 E. 86th St., Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

[Text of Obituary provided to us courtesy of Meg Whisenhunt]