Mary Ellen Hull

Mary Ellen Hull, 89, of Fort Myers, Florida, formerly of Moline, Illinois, died Sunday, October 14, 2018.

Visitation is 1 to 2 PM Thursday at Trimble Funeral Home, 701 12th Street, Moline. Funeral services will follow immediately after visitation with burial at Moline Memorial Park.

Mary was raised during the Great Depression years - born August 25, 1929 in Princeton, Illinois to Arba Mountain and Elsie Byers Mountain. As the oldest of five children, Mary spent her earlier years raised by grandparents during the challenging times. A younger brother, Kent, died of pneumonia in early childhood and her other three siblings; Donna Blake, Janet Byers and William Mountain preceded her in death as well.

The Mountain family settled in Moline where Mary graduated from Moline High School in 1947 and where she met the love of her life Clarence LeRoy Hull. They were married at First Congregational Church on March 25, 1949, where they were also life long members as well.
It was a simpler time filled with promise and dreams and so began the early chapters in Mary and LeRoy's journey.

The era of "Leave It To Beaver" had begun and Mary was "June" without the pearl necklace…raising three children: Susan, Thomas and Kenneth. The focus was family and Mary and LeRoy worked hard together to nurture and grow their children instilling values of honesty, respect and hard work.

Building a family cabin on a lake was a dream they turned into reality allowing their children to spend summers sailing, swimming and exploring. Mary watched over the children while her husband worked and commuted on weekends. Campfire stories, card games, mosquito bites and sunburns..fireflies in glass jars! They took many trips as a family showing them the country and allowing for unique life experiences.

As the years progressed to "Empty Nesters", Mary and LeRoy's interests grew into golf having joined Short Hills CC. They both enjoyed traveling the globe during these years with Mary creating 82 Photo Albums of memories. She also had a great group of Moline High School friends called "The Lunch Bunch". The woman enjoyed sharing their stories and supporting each other through the years.

Mary and her husband escaped the winters to warmer climates for many years before moving to Florida. They were fortunate to find a retirement community, "Cypress Cove" in Ft. Myers. Mary's husband was diagnosed with Alzheimers and she cared for him during the early stages before he was moved to the nursing center. It was so hard to watch the person she loved so much leaving right in front of her. LeRoy passed away June 11, 2010. Mary's only daughter, Susan Whitney passed away in 2014 as well as her grandson, Joshua Whitney in 2003

Mary is survived by her two sons; Thomas of Tempe, AZ and Kenneth of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, his two children; Katherine Hull Fliflet (husband Nathaniel Huber-Fliflet) - Washington DC, Grant Parker Hull (partner - Maclean Guthrie) - Denver, CO, and granddaughter, Jennifer Lindsey (husband, Tom Lindsey, and two sons) - Springfield, MO.

In the movie "Parenthood", the wise old grandmother shared her philosophy on life to Steve Martin…"Grandpa took me on a Roller Coaster. Up, down, up , down. Oh what a ride. You know, it was so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited and so thrilled all together. Some didn't like it. They went on the Merry-Go-Round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the Roller Coaster. You get more out of it!".

Mary understood the analogy. At the end of the day she felt we all have choices in the way we process the events and chapters in our lives.Mary's warm smiles told those that knew her that she choose to be happy and "enjoyed the ride."

Mary was also a member of the Rock Island Historical Society.

The family wishes for donations/memorials be made to the Alzheimers Associations in lieu of flowers.


The family invites friends and family to share stories and condolences at TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.