Mary Ellen Davis Racel died Monday evening, December 24, 2012 in her home, surrounded by family and friends. Mary Ellen died as a result of her recent battle with cancer. At 77, she was a 50 year resident of Las Vegas.
Mary Ellen was born August 10, 1935, in St Charles, IL to Benton William Davis and Mary Ann Haines Davis. During her childhood, she lived in Anchorage, AK, Bogotá, Colombia, Coral Gables, FL and Albuquerque, NM. After marrying in 1957, she lived in Indianapolis, IN before moving to Las Vegas in 1962.
In 1965, Mary Ellen moved with her young family north of Las Vegas. With no immediate neighbors, she soon became friends with nearly all the residents of the sparsely populated region between Tule Springs Park and the Gilcrease Ranch. After a devastating 1968 fire, in which they lost everything, the family moved in with the Gilcrease brothers while they rebuilt. Mary Ellen began working for Ted Gilcrease soon after, and continued to do so for over 30 years.
In 1992, Mary Ellen and Dr. Maureen Mackey entered into a committed relationship. They were known as a warm-hearted couple who were compassionate toward others. Mary Ellen will be remembered by her friends as the person who was always generous with hugs, kind words and humor. She never hesitated to sit by your side, hold your hand or offer comfort when you were struggling.
Mary Ellen is survived by her life partner, Dr. Maureen E. Mackey, MD. of Las Vegas and six children: Anne Racel (Erik) of Yorktown, VA, Barbara Shenberger (Stanley) of Iron Station, NC, Peggy Harris (James) of Amherst, NH, Frank Racel, Jr (Suzanne) of Aiken, SC, Susan Weber (Thomas) of Las Vegas, NV and Joanie (Charles) Bennett of Charlotte, NC. She is survived by three brothers: Thomas Davis of Cypress, TX, Benton Davis of Long Beach, CA and Charles Davis of Las Cruses, NM. She is also survived by 18 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son, Benton Racel and granddaughter Katherine Racel.
A viewing will be held at Palm Mortuary, 6701 N. Jones Blvd, located north of I-215 from 10:30am until 1:30pm, followed by funeral services at 2pm. Burial will be at Bunkers Memory Garden Cemetery, located at 7251 West Lone Mountain.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be sent to ThreeSquare.org.