Obituary of Mary Ellen Childers

MARY ELLEN CASADA CHILDERS After thirteen years of being apart, Cecil Ray and Mary Ellen Childers have been reunited. Mary Ellen passed away in Hospice care on July 30, 2016. She was 84 years old. She and her beloved "puppy," Baby, have been living with her daughter and son-in-law in Stokesdale, NC, for almost 4 years. The daughter of the late Walter Malone Casada and the late Lillie Woody Casada, Mary Ellen was preceded in death by the love of her life, Cecil Ray Childers, in 2003, after 53 years of marriage. They had three children who survive them, Cherie (and Ron) Hutton of Stokesdale, NC, Tom (and Susan) Childers of Magnolia, TX, and Judi (and Wade) Sauls of Swannanoa, NC. They gave her a total of five grandchildren, Katie Hutton Merrell, Mandy Hutton Williams, Shelly Childers Abell, Steven Childers, and Jonathon Wike. The grandchildren expanded the family by adding seven great grandchildren. Mary Ellen was born on October 23, 1931, and is survived by one brother, Walter Merlin Casada, who resides in SC, and one sister, Vista Casada Ashcraft, who lives in KY. She was preceded in death by two brothers, Earl (Shuler) and Erwin, and two sisters, Doris and Jean. Mary Ellen proved to her family how strong she was when she lost her husband and took charge of her own life with determination and grace. She demonstrated that she could make it on her own and learned quickly how to keep her home in repair, her bills paid, and groceries bought while putting money aside for emergencies each month from her fixed income. Services will be held at Whittier United Methodist, Whittier, NC, at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 2, 2016, with Rev. David Baxter officiating. The family will receive visitors at the church 30 minutes prior to the service. Graveside services will be held at Union Hill Cemetery in Whittier immediately following the church service. Mary Ellen will be greatly missed by her family and friends, but there is no doubt that she and Cecil Ray are walking hand-in-hand today basking in the love of our Heavenly Father. The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to the nursing staff on the seventh floor of Reynolds Tower at North Carolina Baptist Hospital and to the wonderful caregivers at Hospice of Rockingham County in Reidsville, NC. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider contributing to your favorite charity in her memory or send a donation to Whittier United Methodist Church (P.O. Box 668, Whittier, NC, 28789) in her honor.