Mary Ellen Barton

To add to the tragedy of a death is that often the very person who would have most enjoyed the tributes, the memorials, and the laughter at old jokes and weird nicknames is the person who is gone. And in this case Mary Ellen Barton, who passed away on October 2, could have written this obit so much better (and funnier) than we did. Mary Ellen graduated from Villanova University in 1976 with a BA in English, but she began writing and journaling almost as soon as she could read, another of her lifelong activities. She surrounded herself with books - fiction, non-fiction, classics and trashy - she was an equal opportunity reader! Immediately after college, Mary Ellen - known to all as MEB - began her federal career at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). She worked at NRL until her retirement in 2019 where she used her outstanding writing skills and sharp mind in many positions, including serving as the Directives "Guru" for NRL policy documents. 

Though MEB was born in Waterloo, NY, in 1954 as the only child of Harold Thomas and Eleanor (Lee) Barton, she considered her true home the place of her dad's birth: Brooklyn, New York. She loved to recount her many visits to her Mimi and Pop's brownstone and being surrounded by the noisy Italian Basuino family. As an only kid she really loved those crazy loud, food-filled family parties with the cousins - either in Brooklyn or at their little family cottage in Long Beach, NY. 

At age nine, her family moved to Maryland where MEB attended John the Evangelist Catholic School and La Reine Catholic High School. She missed the rough and tumble of her cousins, but made herself a new "family" of friends, many of whom she kept in touch with and helped in her generous way until her death.

Her wish for a close family connection was fulfilled when her youngest cousin MaryBeth moved from New York to Alexandria, married and then had two dynamite kids that MEB loved to spoil.

MEB's generous spirit popped up everywhere: Helping out a friend's handicapped son; replacing a cousin's broken phone, purchasing ten walking Barbie horses for her life-long friend Laura's daughter and launching them so that they walked right up to the kid's door, everyone, family and friends and even strangers were gifted with her thoughtful and often humorous gifts!

MEB had a devilish side, too. She loved to watch gory movies with her cousin-in-law Brendan. Her wit and sarcasm was as sharp as her writing skills. MEB often said "Sarcasm is one of the many services I offer." In the words of our grandmother, MEB could be a "prickly pear." She often called long-time pal Agnes as "Tubs," Agnes retaliated by addressing correspondence to Mary Ellen BarTON with the TON underlined. 

In later years MEB struggled with her weight, but she laughed off the sadness it caused her and made it part of her comedy shtick: she surrounded herself with stuffed pigs and her Facebook profile was a wall of pig snouts. One of Cousin Kathy's favorite memories is driving with MaryEllen blasting the song "I Love Big Butts And I Cannot Lie" while daring each other to moon passing motorists (we didn't).

She always said she had time to lose weight, time to deal with her many health issues, time to clean her closets and time to accomplish more of the things she wanted. Sadly, we all thought she had time, too. 

MEB is survived by her loving and always amused Basuino cousins and their spouses and families: Eldest cousin William Peacock, Mary Beth Thompson, Kathleen Prentiss, Robert Bodnar, Tom Bushey, and Pat Frischmann and her special, loyal, adopted family/friends Agnes and Lindsey Green, and Laura Caswell - and too many other friends to list.

Donations in her name can be made to: The Gentle Barn at https://www.gentlebarn.org/donate/

Arrangements being handled by Lee Funeral Home, Clinton, MD with burial next to her beloved father and mother in Resurrection Cemetery, Clinton, MD. Services private.