Mary Pearle Ellenberger Boyd – Connellsville
Mary Pearle Ellenberger Boyd, 102, stepped from this earthly life into her eternal glory on Dec. 30, 2019, at TLC Adult Care Center in West Newton. Mary was born in a little coal mining patch called Paul, Pa., on July 19, 1917, the fourth of 10 children to John and Estella Orbin Ellenberger. She also had five half-brothers and half-sisters. She grew up in the nearby coal mining town of Vanderbilt and graduated from Dunbar Township High School, the first in first in her family to graduate. Mary loved and excelled in school and was selected for a position on the Dunbar High School girls basketball team and the girls swimming team. Mary left Vanderbilt in 1937 when she married Glenn W. Boyd and moved to the Webster area. Later they lived in Fellsburg, until the Donora Mill closed in the 1960s. Before moving to Coatesville after the steel mills closed, Mary completed her LPN studies in Pittsburgh at night school. After moving to Coatesville, she was selected for a position as dental assistant at the Coatesville Veterans Administration Hospital, a position she loved and held until she retired in 1980. Upon retirement, the Boyds returned to western Pennsylvania and spent the next 20 years living in Connellsville in the summer and Florida in the winter. Mary and Glenn loved to travel, and their favorite trips were to the Holy Lands and to Great Britain to visit their daughter, Sharon. They also made several trips to California to visit their son, Glenn Jr. They talked about these trips for the rest of their lives. After her beloved husband Glenn died in 2001 after 64 years of marriage, Mary began her volunteer work at age 84. For several years, she worked for the former Ark Pregnancy Crisis Center in Belle Vernon and at Faith in Action in Charleroi. As her eyesight faded due to macular degeneration at age 92, she was no longer able to drive and had to give up her volunteer work. Mary was a devout Christian all her life. She gave of her time and resources to her church and to other Christian causes and to many people in need. She didn’t have a lot of financial assets, but she had much love and many talents and for 102 years she donated them all to her Lord. Deceased are Mary’s parents, four brothers, four sisters, three half-brothers, and two half-sisters. Also deceased is one son-in-law, Maj. James T. Taylor. She will be forever be held in highest honor by her five surviving children, Glenn W. (Joan) Boyd Jr. of Perryopolis, Mel B. (Marguerite) Boyd of Denver, Pa., Saundra (Robert) Davidson of Coal Center, Sharon Taylor of The Villages, Fla., and Francene (William) Cox of Narvon, Pa.; 12 grandchildren, Cindy Boyd (Tom) Klonis, Jonathan (Maria) Boyd, Gretchen Boyd Madeira, Brian Boyd, Colleen Davidson (Paul) Brinkman, Diana Davidson, Daniel (Tori) Davidson, Tracey Taylor (Tim) Hagan, James (Michelle) Taylor, Erika Cox (Carl) Gottshall, Krystal Cox (Dustin) Weaver and Robert (Jennifer) Cox; 18 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. Also surviving are a brother, Rev. Robert (Florence) Ellenberger of Connellsville; a brother-in-law, Ralph Riter of Pennsville; and by many special nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at James C. Stump Funeral Home Inc., 580 Circle Drive, Rostraver Township, 724-929-7934, www.jamesstumpfuneralhome.com where a funeral service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday with Pastor Alan Petke of Gospel Alliance Church officiating. Interment will follow in Fells Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in memory of Mary Pearle Boyd be sent to: Option Resource Center (formerly the Ark Pregnancy Center), 308 Chess St., Monongahela, PA 15063 or The Faith in Action Program, 69 East Beau St., Washington, PA 15301.
