Mary Ellen Hesla, described by all who knew her as strong, dependable, and generous, passed away after a brief battle with advanced pancreatic cancer on August 27, 2022.
Mary Ellen was born in Wantagh, New York on May 7, 1960, where she lived until her family relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from St. Pius X Catholic High School and later received her Bachelor of Nursing degree from Georgia State University.
Mary Ellen and Lon Hesla were married in 1984. Their son, Kevin, arrived in January 1987, and daughter, Kirsten, was born in August 1988. Shortly afterwards, she and Lon moved to Littleton, Colorado, and after several years as a full-time nurse and mom of two small children, Mary Ellen completed her Master of Nursing degree at the University of Colorado.
It was clear from an early age Mary Ellen’s calling was taking care of people. She always found time to volunteer, support her friends and family, and raise her children. She was very engaged in the lives of her children, as well as their partners and close friends – her love, compassion, and empathy for people she cared about was boundless.
Mary Ellen was passionate about gardening, hiking, watercolor painting, and finding beauty in the world around her. She recently rediscovered her passion for flower arrangements and truly enjoyed helping create beautiful flower displays for weddings. Mary Ellen was an avid reader and an excellent cook. She often supported local artists and community gardens.
Throughout her life she learned to navigate challenges with grace, share her quiet wit, and embrace new experiences fully. She will be profoundly missed by her children, family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
A funeral mass will be held at All Souls Catholic Church in Centennial, Colorado on September 24, 2022, at 10:00am. A celebration of life reception will occur immediately after the mass at 11:00am at the church.
Mary Ellen supported many different charitable organizations. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her honor to The Nature Conservancy, American Institute for Cancer Research, Wounded Warrior Project, Denver Rescue Mission, or an organization of your choosing.
So lovely. I’ll miss her so much
My deepest condolences to the family. I worked with Mary Ellen for many years at Micromedex, and admired her calm demeanor and her dry sense of humor. She will be missed.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Mary Ellen since 2002 as a colleague at Micromedex. She was always the perfect combination of hard working, generous with her time and knowledge, and funny – bringing much needed laughter into the workday. We will miss her presence on our teams – and more importantly – we will always miss her presence in our lives. All our best to her family and friends. Much love to you all as you start the journey of living in her beautiful legacy.
I was lucky enough to meet Mary Ellen at IHM
(K-8) in Atlanta. We had a tight group of girlfriends that shared adolescence with lots of laughs between us. Between rolling our uniform skirts and trying to outsmart Sr. Karen Marie ( impossible) we made it through a Catholic girl’s education. Mary Ellen had that certain wit ( quiet and dead on) that often had us in stitches.
Very sad to hear of her passing. Sending love to her family.
My deepest sympathy to Kevin and Kirsten, who grew up in the same neighborhood and schools with my kids. The image I hold of Mary Ellen, is of her arriving at the many potluck dinners we all attended, with a smile and a delicious entree. She will be missed by all the other neighborhood moms of our era, and by everyone else too.
Mary Ellen was a dear colleague and friend to many in our Micromedex family. Always with a smile or quick and witty comment, she brought joy to many. We’ll miss her leadership and compassion for others. My thoughts are with those who love Mary Ellen and call her friend, family, or both. Her legacy will endure in those she touched directly and patients she helped around the world through her work. She will be dearly missed.
Growing up in Atlanta, we cousins (about 20 at most family gatherings) thoroughly enjoyed these cousin times together. Mary Ellen as one of the “little kids” was a tumbling bear, happy, gregarious, willing to take part in any tree climbing dare, musical or play that we forced the parents to sit through, or winner take all relay race. A fond memory of Mary Ellen was when she happily skipped through her leg of a highly competitive relay race, which dissolved the yelling at the runners into total laughter.
Rest In Peace, sweet Mary Ellen.