Mary Ellen Christman

East Lyme — Mary Ellen (Tossett) Christman passed away on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017, after a long illness.

She was born Oct. 12, 1936, to Otis Tossett and Ellen (Tyler) Tossett, on their farm near Lansford, N.D. In her early years, she attended a oneroom schoolhouse in Lansford. Later, her family lived in Montana during the school year; she graduated from Billings High School in 1954. She went on to the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, where she graduated in 1959 with a bachelor of philosophy degree. She had many fond memories of playing the clarinet in her high school and college marching bands, especially enjoying the frequent travel.

Upon graduation, Mary Ellen moved to California, where she worked at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu. It was there that she met a young physicist, J. Richard Christman. After a whirlwind courtship, they were married on June 17, 1961 in Minot, N.D.

She worked for nearly 25 years at the East Lyme Public Library, retiring in 2002. Summers were always spent at the family lakeside cottage in Delta, Ontario, Canada. She loved discussing politics, singing along to Elvis, and enjoying the company of her adored grandchildren. Ever the farmer’s daughter, she was happiest working with the earth, digging, planting and pruning. Otherwise, she was usually seen with a book or newspaper in hand, right up to her final days.

Mary Ellen is survived by her son, Stephen Christman of Niantic; her daughter, Karen Christman and son-in-law, Glenn Frysinger; and three grandsons, Jack, Erik and Matthew Frysinger, all of of Old Saybrook. She is also survived by two sisters, Carol Sando and Dolores Jacobson, both of Carmichael, Calif.; brother, Wesley Tossett and his wife, Marlene, of Minot, N.D.; and sister-in-law, Carol Christman of Evansville, Ind.; as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Her beloved husband, Richard, passed away Feb. 20, 2017.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, at The Thomas L. Neilan & Sons Funeral Home, 48 Grand St., Niantic. Her ashes, along with those of her husband, will be interred at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Minot, N.D., at the convenience of her family.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the American Cancer Society or Planned Parenthood.