Mary Ellen Donihee St. Hilaire January 13, 1945 -­ June 3, 2016 

Mary Ellen passed away suddenly on June 3, 2016. She was born in Richland, WA, on January 13, 1945, to Vincent D. Donihee and Elizabeth M. Hearne. As a child she loved to roam the neighborhood with her siblings and neighbors from Hunt Street, playing kick the can, riding bikes, and exploring the Columbia River. She loved her family trips back to Brooklyn where she visited with her many Hearne relatives. She attended local schools until high school when she attended Notre Dame Academy in Colton, WA, and then St. Gertrude’s Academy in Cottonwood, ID. Mary Ellen attended Gonzaga University before moving back to the Tri­-Cities where she met and married John F. St. Hilaire. John and Mary Ellen raised six kids on a farm in Kennewick. She was a devout Catholic and was an active member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Mary Ellen was passionate about educating young children and worked for several years at St. Joseph’s School in Kennewick in various capacities. She later went back to school and received her degree from WSU. Mary Ellen completed the Master Gardener Program and enjoyed volunteering in classrooms teaching about plants. She spent every day working on her garden. When she was not outside pulling weeds, she was propagating seeds, researching botany, and filling her house with seedlings and flowers. She also loved to travel.

Mary Ellen completed the amazing adventure of walking the Camino de Santiago across Spain with her daughter Sarah in 2014. She enjoyed many trips to Europe and still loved visiting her cousins in the New York area. She was blessed with many wonderful grandchildren, and she always had activities and adventures planned for when they would visit. She was a great storyteller and loved to entertain friends and family with stories of her childhood, travels, and the adventures of her children and grandchildren. She will long be remembered for her great sense of humor and her dedication to her family. She was preceded in death by her husband, John Francis St. Hilaire (2012), her parents Vincent D. Donihee (1981) and Elizabeth Hearne Donihee (2003), her sister Elizabeth Patrice (1953), and her son Kevin Ryan (1979). She is survived by her siblings: Aggi Lapke (Leo) of Walla Walla, Ann Parazin (Bob) of Richland, and Vince of Richland. She leaves behind six children: John (Catherine) of Shoreline, Lisa (Jim) Heising of Castro Valley, CA, Nicole (Jesse Thompson) of Seattle, Ronald (Holly) of Kennewick, Sarah of Kennewick, and William (Lynne) of Los Angeles, CA. She is also survived by her 15 grandchildren; Rory, Paddy, Ciaran, Brogan, Lucelia, Fionnoula, Rourke, Rohan, Bryce, Nolan, Meredith, Cashel, Cameron, Kevin, Guerin, and two more arriving 2016. Services for Mary Ellen will be held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Kennewick. A Rosary Vigil will be offered at 7:30 pm on Wednesday and a Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, June 9, at 12 noon. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Catholic Charities at support.catholiccharitiesusa.org