Mary Ellen (Kelsey) Baumann

Mary Ellen Baumann, 87, of Kokomo, passed away at 1:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at Ascension St. Vincent Kokomo. She was born October 15, 1937, in Columbia City, Indiana, to Howard A. and Florence B. (Murbach) Kelsey. On June 1, 1963, she married Joseph “Ed” Baumann, at the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Albion, Indiana, and he preceded her in death on November 4, 2017.

Mary graduated from Jefferson Center High School in Whitley County and went on to earn a Master’s degree in Vocational Home Economics from Ball State University. She began her teaching career in Lancaster Township, Huntington County, and later taught GED preparation for Kokomo Center Schools, where she also served as the district’s first career resource specialist. Her career continued with roles at Volunteers in Community Services and the Indiana Health Center WIC Program, from which she eventually retired. Mary also worked as a Purdue Extension Agent in both Noble and Howard County. She was a devoted member of St. Patrick Catholic Church and the Daughters of Isabella.

Survivors include her daughters, Katrina (Mike) Hoelscher, West Chester, OH, Sarah (Mike) Hemmerich, Kokomo, IN, and Maurita (John) Taylor, Westfield, IN; grandchildren, Nathaniel Hemmerich, Olivia Hemmerich, Mitchell Hoelscher, Addison Taylor, and Kayleigh Taylor; and brother, Lyle Kelsey, Incline Village, NV.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents, and sisters, Helen Fenker, Ethel Vandersaul, Kathleen Judd, and Dorothy Mae Kelsey.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1229 N. Washington St., Kokomo, with Rev. Fr. Peter Vanderkolk the celebrant. Burial will follow in Albright Cemetery. Friends are invited to visit with the family from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Shirley & Stout Funeral Home & Crematory, 1315 W. Lincoln Rd., Kokomo, where the Rosary will be offered at 7 p.m. Contributions may be made in Mary’s memory to the Kokomo Public Schools Education Foundation, 1500 S. Washington St., P.O. Box 2188, Kokomo, IN 46904-2188. Messages of condolence may be left online at www.shirleyandstout.com.

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