Mary Ellen Bennett

Mary Ellen passed away on July 18, 2022 at the age of 81. She was born to Henry and Ella (Spellmeyer) Schmidt in Beatrice, Nebraska on January 22, 1941.

Mary Ellen attended Sterling High School where she sang in a quartet. She had a voice that in her later years would get people on the dance floor when she sang karaoke to Patsy Kline.

In 1963 Mary Ellen moved to California and settled in Van Nuys. Ten years after, she and her daughter relocated to Manhattan Beach where Mary Ellen proudly worked on Top Secret projects as a graphic artist on her drawing board for aerospace companies including Northrup Grumman, Hughes Aircraft, and TRW.

Mary Ellen’s hobbies included painting, which earned her a few first-place ribbons at the Beaver County Fair in Utah, and sewing dresses for girls in need for the Dress A Girl Around The World organization. She attended church for many years at Calvary Chapel of South Bay.

Mary Ellen is survived by her daughter Kristi Jansto-Nunez (Juan), brother LaVelle Schmidt (Irma), sister Kathy Schmidt, brother Merlin Schmidt (Helen), three grandchildren, Edward (Teresa), Rachel (Nick), and Angelica (Edward), six great-grandchildren, Christina, Izaac, Matthew, Hazel, Ryan, and Joshua, and numerous nieces and nephews.