Mary Ellen Carver

Mother of Lisa Carver. Mary Ellen Carver, 91, passed away peacefully at Kaplan Family Hospice in Danvers on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 after a brief illness. Born February 23, 1930 in Duluth, Minnesota, to Joseph and Mabel Majo, Mary Helen left for the East Coast to attend Smith College, graduating in 1951 with a music degree. She lived briefly in San Francisco and took courses in music therapy before deciding to become a music teacher, ending up at Beverly Memorial Middle School and meeting Ted who taught science there. The Carvers married in 1958 and settled in Ipswich. After the birth of their first daughter, Mary Helen became a stay-at-home mother until both girls were away at college when she decided to go to secretarial school and enter the work force again. She worked for many years at Salem State College in the Academic Affairs office, in a job she enjoyed very much. Mary Helen was an accomplished musician, playing the piano, cello, and singing in various choirs including the church choir at The First Church of Ipswich. She was an amazing and loving grandmother, enjoyed classical concerts, gardening, nature, and physical activity such as canoeing, swimming, and hiking. She was very proud of her Midwestern roots and loved to tell stories about growing up in Duluth on Lake Superior. Mary Helen was strong-willed, independent, inquisitive, feisty, and generous! For the last six years Mary Helen was a resident of The Residence at Riverbend in Ipswich. Although she suffered from dementia, she remained very independent and never lost her personality or her zest for life. She is survived by her daughter Christine Lawton and husband Jeff, her daughter Janet Votze and husband Paul, her grandchildren Emily Votze, Anna Votze, Connor Lawton and Spencer Lawton, her niece Cynthia Sokol, and her nephews Doug Gorney and Mark Gorney. She was the sister of the late Elizabeth Gorney.