Mary (Shank) Mellinger

Mary Elizabeth (Shank) Mellinger, 91, formerly of Lancaster, died at Mt. St. Frances Nursing Facility in Colorado Springs on Sunday, October 25, 2015. Born in Lancaster, she was the daughter of the late Charles and Mabel Borger Shank. “….We grieve, but not as those who have no hope….” I Thessalonians 4:13-18 Mary met her future husband, the late Carl Mellinger, Sr., who died in 1982, as a next door neighbor, when she was a young lady and eloped to Bel Air, MD. Mary and Carl had two sons: the late Carl B. Mellinger, Jr. who died while serving in Viet Nam on July 2, 1968 and Harry N. Mellinger, Colorado Springs, CO (married Diana Griffis). She has two grandsons: Richard A Mellinger , of Maryland,(married to Beth Bartolomeo), Sean M. Mellinger of Mt. Joy, PA, (married to Adriene Haines) and seven great grandchildren. She is survived by her brother, William Dangro, Sr., and two sisters: Lorraine (Dangro) Jenkins, and Susan (Dangro) Beck. She was preceded in death by: her brother, John Shank; her sisters: Margaret (Dangro) Murphy; Mabel (Dangro) Murr; Anna (Shank) Giordano; and Kathryn (Shank) Hess. Also surviving are many nieces, nephews and cousins. Mary and Carl often opened their home on St. Joseph St. to any in the family who needed a place to stay. Theirs was a long history of loving and caring for family. Mary worked as a Nurse’s Aide at St. Joseph Hospital, and Lancaster General Hospital. She was a bookkeeper for Pittsburgh Paint and Glass prior to her employment as a teller with what is now Wells Fargo Bank…from which she retired. She moved to Colorado with her son and daughter-in-law in 2007. Her legacy is her deep faith in Jesus, and the love she shared with all. Her kind and generous nature is a fond memory, and will be missed by all who knew her. She attended Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster for many years and later attended Hamilton Park UCC. Mary enjoyed bus trips to Three Little Bakers in earlier years. She played bingo, and was “the Bingo Queen” at St. Francis, right to the end of her earthly journey. She enjoyed crocheting, going to dinner (especially having chicken cacciatore at Lombardo’s in Lancaster!), and visiting with family and friends. Relatives and friends are invited to attend Mary’s Celebration of Life Service on Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. at The Groffs Family Funeral & Cremation Services, Inc., 528 W. Orange Street, (corner of Orange & Pine Sts.) Lancaster, PA. A viewing will take place on Friday, October 30, 2015 at the Groffs from 6:00-8:00 p.m. and the family will receive friends on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service. Interment will be in Conestoga Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Mary’s name to the Administrator at Mt. St. Francis Nursing Center, Attn: Mary Mellinger Memoriam, 7550 Assisi Heights, Colorado Springs, CO 80919. This will support the continuing excellent work of caring for our aging loved ones, in the name of Christ Jesus.

Mary (Shank) Mellinger

October 27, 2015