Mary Eileen Mullen
Community College of Baltimore County human services worker counseled and assisted people in economic distress
Mary Eileen Mullen, a human services worker who counseled people in economic distress, died of glioblastoma Sept. 2 at her Hamilton home. She was 71.
Born in Baltimore and raised in Glyndon, she was the daughter of Lawrence T. Mullen, an architect, and Nancy Abrams, a medical office assistant. She attended Sacred Heart School of Glyndon and was a 1969 graduate of Franklin High School in Reisterstown, where she participated in swimming and gymnastics. She earned an associate degree at the Community College of Baltimore County.
“From the time she was a teenager, she knew she wanted to help those with developmental disabilities,” said her sister Sherry Trabert. “She volunteered at Rosewood State Hospital, caring for the children living there. She was drawn to people who needed help.
“She had a special gift to help the most needy.”
Ms. Mullen, who learned American Sign Language to communicate with her clients, worked for the Hearing and Speech Agency of Metropolitan Baltimore when it was located in the Old Goucher neighborhood.
Ms. Mullen went on to become a caseworker and program developer at Humanim, a nonprofit that provides support and employment services to people with developmental disabilities and behavioral health challenges, in the renovated American Brewery on Gay Street. She helped families connect with agencies and benefits.
“In 2019 she landed her dream job in the community outreach program at CCBC on the Dundalk campus,” her sister Sherry said.
Ms. Mullen helped people sign up for benefits, locate food pantries and navigate the agencies that could assist with basic family needs.
“Throughout the pandemic, Mary Eileen never hesitated to go the extra mile for people in need,” her sister said.
In 2001 she met her future husband, Dr. Earl Addicks, a dentist. For their first date, they attended a family cookout and then went to the George Clooney film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” in Whitemarsh.
“She was a happy and witty person,” said her husband, who practices in Westminster.
Ms. Mullen frequently attended Orioles, Terps and Ravens games.
She served as secretary for football fan club Ravens Nest 2 in Parkville. She enjoyed tailgating, making many friends along the way.
Ms. Mullen collected antiques, including the vintage, colorful cans that contained Chesapeake Bay shucked oysters. Other favorites included ceramic oyster plates and old metal toys.
She was a craft sewer. This hobby evolved into B’More SideDish, her small business. She used vintage fabrics to create dish-drying mats, microwave cozies and market bags. She sold them at makers events at breweries, the Village of Cross Keys and the Lauraville Market.
She and her husband spent many happy days scouting thrift stores, yard sales and antique malls for tablecloths, grain sacks and vintage fabrics.
The couple owned a home on Montego Bay, Ocean City. She named it “Ponder” and considered it a place of peace and solitude. They made trips to the Ocean City beachfront, kayaked in Assawoman Bay and explored the Delmarva Peninsula.
Ms. Mullen was a Maryland Department of Health State Anatomy Board donor. A private memorial service will be held in the future.
Survivors include her husband of 15 years, Dr. Earl Addicks; a daughter, Kate Bowers, of Cockeysville; two sisters, Sherry Trabert, of Baltimore, and Molly Ward, of Bluffton, South Carolina; three stepsons, Brian Addicks and Matt Addicks, both of Westminster, and Nick Addicks, of Baltimore; and two grandsons.