Mary Ellen (Farley) Rajchel

Mary Ellen (Farley) Rajchel, 89, passed away on Saturday December 19, 2020. Born in Fort Wayne, IN on January 18, 1931, Mary was the daughter of Lucy Mae (Leslie) Farley and Paul Owen Farley. She attended St. Peter’s Catholic School and graduated from Central Catholic High School. She continued lifelong contact with her high school friends in monthly gatherings known as “the club”. On December 1, 1956, she married Richard J. Rajchel and began their happy, spirited and adventurous life together that included moving to Albuquerque and Tucson, before finally settling back to Fort Wayne. Their love and support for each other cannot be described in words, but their gazes to each other told how strong their bond was. Mary had fond memories of working at WOWO in the 1950’s and later at Magnavox. Above all else, she loved and was devoted to her family. She was a wonderful, much loved grandmother, mother, wife and daughter. With her husband, she committed her time, energy and attention unselfishly to her four children and seven grandchildren - instilling in them a sense of fairness, hard work, humour and humility. Mary was an avid reader who together with Richard would scour the shelves of the Allen County Public Library for the next stack of biographies before splitting a sandwich and coffee for lunch. She spent her last thirty years in retirement with her husband happily surrounded by her children and grandchildren watching the sun set on the back patio, playing Scrabble, organizing family photographs or watching a classic movie on TCM. She enjoyed the simple things in life and left a positive impact by devoting all her love and time to family and friends as they meant everything to her. She was preceded in death by her husband Richard in 2019 and is survived by her children Joe (Kris), Rick (Marieke), and Paul (Autumn) Rajchel and Margie (Joe) Millhouse as well as grandchildren Mary, Katya and Stefan Rajchel, Nicole Rajchel-Gassiott (Thomas) and Maysa, Garrett, and Aidan Millhouse. Also surviving are her beloved cousins Leona Rice of Indianapolis, Thomas Krick of Paulding, Ohio and Robert Krick of Port Richey, Florida, plus countless friends. She was the heart and soul of the family, and will be dearly missed, but her spirit will always live on in our hearts. Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 am, Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 10700 Aboite Center Rd, with calling one hour prior. Face coverings are required and social distancing will be followed. Burial will be in Catholic Cemetery, Fort Wayne. Donations in her name to the Fort Wayne Lifetime Sports Academy would help to continue her positive impact on others. To sign the online guest book, go to www.divinemercyfuneralhome.com