Mary Ellen Parulis, age 97, of Mentor, passed away peacefully, Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at Altercare of Mentor, surrounded by her family. She was born July 1, 1926 in Cleveland, daughter of Victor and Marion (Hutchison) Resch.

She married Ben on July 20, 1945 in San Jose, California.  After the war ended they celebrated with another ceremony held for all their family in Cleveland. They were together for 61 years.  During the early war years, Mary Ellen sang with three of her friends.  They were the Carol Sisters and performed on a Cleveland radio station program called “Serenade for Smoothies”.

She loved to garden and raised beautiful roses in her yard.  She enjoyed scrapbooking, solving word puzzles, and playing cards with her friends. She loved her “fur babies” Mitzie and Benji.

Mary Ellen was a devoted wife and mother and cherished her family and her many friends. She had a loving and calming personality and always had a smile and a kind word for all.

She is survived by her children, Lorraine (Wayne) Reichard, Deborah Catalani, David (Janice) Parulis; grandchildren, Mark (Stacy) Miklaucic, Steven Miklaucic, Kristine Scouten, Douglas (Kristin) Reichard, Louis (Marra) Catalani, Lisa Hollifield; and 4 great-grandchildren, Alex, Louis, Serenity and Aidan. She was preceded in death by her husband, Benedict; her parents; and siblings, Shirley Miller and Victor Resch.

Behm Family Funeral Home of Madison is assisting the family at this time. Online obituary and condolences may be viewed at www.behmfuneral.com