Mary Ellen (Pothoven) Kitchen
Mary Ellen (Pothoven) Kitchen
Mary Ellen (Pothoven) Kitchen
December 22, 1935 – August 13, 2014
Oskaloosa, Iowa | Age 78
Mary Ellen (Pothoven) Kitchen passed away at home on Wednesday, August 13, 2014, surrounded by her children and her dear friend, Paul. Mary Ellen, the daughter of John and Ellen (Bond) Callahan, was born December 22, 1935, in Washington, D.C.
Mary Ellen’s family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, when she was in 4th grade, and she graduated from St. Ann’s Catholic School in 1953.
Mary Ellen was always ready for adventure, which was apparent when she moved across the country to San Francisco, CA, in 1958. There, she met Marion “Hull” Pothoven of Oskaloosa, Iowa. They married on December 17, 1960 in San Francisco and then moved to Sacramento. After her mother’s death, her sister and father also moved to Sacramento.
Mary Ellen was a homemaker, bank teller, court reporter and travel agent. Her family moved to Oskaloosa in 1980. She worked for Marion’s law firm, owned The Bookmark & Hemingway’s Garden, and worked as an office manager for several local businesses.
She graduated from William Penn College in 1993, where she also played on the varsity golf team. She was very active at the First Presbyterian Church in Oskaloosa, where she served as deacon, elder, director of Christian Education, and she was a Stephen’s Minister. She was an active volunteer with Oskaloosa Community Theater, Imagine the Possibilities, Main Street, and Crisis Intervention Services, to name a few. She also graduated from Citizens Police Academy, Clown College and Comedy School. She performed in numerous OCT productions and one at the Des Moines Playhouse.
Following Marion’s death in 2001, Mary Ellen moved to Mesa, Arizona. She married Jerry Kitchen; they later divorced. Known to her Mesa friends as Calli, she was an active member of First Presbyterian Church, Mesa. She lived in Fountain of the Sun senior community and, of course, became involved and made many more friends. She regularly performed stand-up comedy and produced variety shows for numerous organizations. She loved playing golf year-round, going to movies and playing games with friends, and helping those in need. Friends introduced her to Paul Nee at Thanksgiving, 2013, and they were inseparable by Christmas.
Her life revolved around her family and friends (who she considered family), and volunteering. She never knew a stranger and welcomed many people into her home over the years. She chose to see the best in people and loved to make people smile. She arranged many reunions for her San Francisco and Sacramento friends. She was so thankful that three generations of her “Marchita/Rachel Way” Sacramento friends gathered for a weekend together last year.
She spent much of the past four years living with and assisting her sister, Frances, in Sacramento and Mesa. Mary Ellen was diagnosed with lung cancer in April, 2014, and her health declined quickly. She passed away at home, just 4 days after her sister, surrounded by her children and her dear friend, Paul.
Her children wish to thank all of her friends (many of whom they have not met and cannot thank personally) for their love and support of their mom. She was one of a kind and the world is a better place because of her.
She was predeceased by her parents, and her sister, Frances Bond Smith, on August 9, 2014.
She is survived by her children: John Pothoven of Mesa, AZ; Joyce & Richard Mateer of Delta, IA; and Julie & John Fisher of Naples, FL; her grandchildren Jasper (& Alicia) Pothoven, Zachary Mateer and Shaye Lynn Mateer; and four great grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life Service will be on Monday August 18, 2014, 10 a.m. at Mesa First Presbyterian Church in Mesa, AZ.
The service in Oskaloosa,IA has not been confirmed as of this time.
Memorial donations can be made to:
Mesa First Presbyterian Church – http://fpcmesa.org/about-us/giving
First Presbyterian Church, Oskaloosa – http://www.oskaloosafirstpresbyterian.org/?page_id=14
Fountain of the Sun Lions Club
Mahaska Health Partnership Hospice Services Serenity House – https://www.mahaskahealth.org/donate-online.html
Crisis Intervention Services – https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=o3Yam1dHVpUwBnqgxmBYD1n3yYvFrf9xKZzBs05eJ29-tT0vG00_60A-xRe&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d69a70501aadbc2ff6a1e7e8cc0df6b0b
American Cancer Society Relay for Life – http://www.relayforlife.org/getinvolved/donate/index
